


Our Last Respawn

by Ashes_2_Cashes



Category: Banana Bus Squad, Real Person Fiction, Youtube RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Gore, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Government Conspiracy, Government Experimentation, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, NSFW, Non-Consensual Blood Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-09
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2018-09-07 14:44:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 49,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8804974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ashes_2_Cashes/pseuds/Ashes_2_Cashes
Summary: ( edit as of 4/9/18: bc this is a zombie story, gore will now be more graphic, as well as other things. taking more of a TWD feeling than other things, so if you don't like blood or gore, please stop reading. )No one knows how it started. It wasn't a flu, or a bacteria. Nor was it an experiment gone wrong.It just . . appeared.In the blink of an eye, humanity had fallen and turned its back against each other. For the first few days, they thought this was like a video game, a dream perhaps. But real life wasn't like a video game at all. Because once you die, there are no respawns allowed.(edit: ships might change as the story progresses)





	1. Chapter 1

Death.   
  
That is what it brought upon the world.   
  
Death.   
  
When it first arrived, people brushed it off as a simple joke, thinking that the internet was once again making this all up.

But then the cities started experiencing an epidemic of some sort, one that no scientist had seen.

It ate away at your skin slowly until some just fell off, and your mind forget everything until it was focused on one single thing.

To eat.

To eat and never get full. It made you eat like a mad person, but it ate only one thing. 

Human flesh.

As soon as a number of people started getting this disease, cities went on lockdown and would not let anyone in or out. Doctors and scientists worked together to find a cure, but nothing was coming up.

So it kept growing. It grew until even the strongest of nations fell. First went down the smallest and weakest of nations, then came the 2 strongest. Everyone fled to the world's superpowers, but even they couldn't withstand the outbreak.

The world suddenly seemed to stop. 

The death poll raised to past 6 million in a mere 3 months. People were advised to stay indoors and not come out during the night, despite the screaming of the biters keeping everyone up at night. 

Biters. That's what they called them nowadays, considering the infection was passed through a direct bite to the person.

Biters.

Biters were fast and slow, weak and strong. No one without some sort of military training could stand a chance against them. 

Not even the government itself stood a chance. So they decided on one thing to try and control the epidemic. 

They cut cities off and divided them into different districts, assigning different people to them.

But even this didn't work, and so the districts were were left behind, a mere thought if anyone remembered. 

Like David.

He, unlike most people, seemed to remember every single thing that happened since day 1 in detail. He remembers seeing the news and shrugging it off, instead going to the store instead of staying indoors.

He remembers the store being packed with people, some nearly trampling over each other trying to get to the last of the food left.

He remembers the man next to him who pulled out a gun and shot the woman whom he was bickering with in the head without any remorse. 

He remembers. 

The only thing he doesn't remember during this time was his friends. He was alone in a city which was killing itself.

That's how most cities died. Not because of the epidemic. But because they were killing themselves from the inside. 

Just like David.

So when he sent out one final message to his friends before the power was cut off, he was glad. Glad that power was cut off, as much as he needed it.

Not like he wanted to know about how the human race was dying out anyways.


	2. Chapter 2

_He ran._

_That's all he could do right now._  
  
_Run._  
  
_Run away from those. . things that were chasing him._

_The biters._

_Some of them simply staggered and tripped, but others seemed to have a boost of energy that made them run like a mad man after him._

_The blond male panted heavily as beads of sweat ran down his forehead and into his eyes, making him wipe his face as quickly as he could._

_Soon, his apartment building came into view and he felt himself smile since the first attack. He tried to run faster and soon, he got there._

_But when he tried opening the heavy metal door, he found it locked. He quickly scanned his surroundings and soon found his escape._  
  
_The stairs leading up to the second floor._  
  
_The Swedish man quickly went towards them and bolted up the stairs, taking two steps at a time to make some distance between the biters right behind him._

_Soon, he made it to the second floor and ran left, making it to his door and opening it as quickly as his shaking hands would let him._

_He quickly went inside and slammed the door shut behind him, locking it and stepping away from it as the biters started scratching and pounding at the only thing that kept them separated._

_His breath came out in short pants as he fell onto the floor and laid on his back, looking up at the ceiling as he tried to catch his breath._  
  
_He was finally safe, for now at least._  
  
_Shuffling coming from another room made him quickly sit up and turn around, only to see a woman with dark brown hair peek out of the room, her dark brown eyes wide with terror. She wore a slightly baggy white shirt over her slim figure, and black jeans underneath. He sighed as he stood up, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his shirt._  
  
_" **Felix, is everything alright? You didn't get hurt, did you?** " she whispered, concern in her voice as Felix shook his head and walked towards her._

 _He embraced her in a hug as soon as he was right in front of her. She hugged back gently and rested her chin on his shoulder as he held her close and lightly kissed her head._  
  
_" **It's alright, Marzia. I'm here, I won't let them hurt you. They'll have to get passed me to even lay a finger on you. I promise.** "_  
  
_" **Thank you, Felix. . I love you.** "_  
  
_" **I love you too, Marzia.** "_

* * *

He opened his eyes and sat up quickly, his breathing coming out in labored pants as sweat and tears ran down his face.

Felix shook his head and covered his face with his hands, quiet sobs making his shoulders shake.

This was the seventh time in a row that he's had the same nightmare.

He didn't want to remember it at all, because he knew he couldn't keep that promise to her. He couldn't keep her safe, and now, she was gone from him.  
  
Dead.

That made him sob even louder as his nails slightly dug into the skin on his face.

It was his fault Marzia was dead, and now, he couldn't cope with it.

He couldn't even keep her ghost away.

He knew if he didn't find a way to make her and himself at peace, he would never make it out alive.

Not like he wanted to after the love of his life was killed in front of him.  
  
Felix grew quiet when someone stirred in the sleeping bag next to his, then tried to dry his tears as he felt them sit up.

He sniffed and looked down at his lap, hands trembling from the dream rather than from the freezing winter air around them.

“Felix, are you alright? Did. . Did you have that dream again?"  
  
A nod.  
  
The man next to him sighed and scooted closer to him, enveloping his friend into a hug as the Swedish man slowly hugged back and buried his face into the other's shoulder.

"Cry. . Ryan, I. . I'm sorry. . I just can't keep her away, I can't. . ! No matter what I do, she always comes back and I. . I. .” his voice died away as the salty liquid started slipping out of his eyes once again and onto the American's shoulder.

Ryan shushed him gently and rubbed his back to comfort him. He held the broken man in his arms as his blue eyes looked down at the messy blond hair, then up at the ceiling of the room they were hiding out in.

Taking a deep breath in, he exhaled and held his friend closer and tighter to him.

It might be a while until the Swedish man could be himself but if waiting and comforting him brought the old Felix back, he'd stay by his side until his heart stopped beating and his skin was cold, because that's what best friends do, right?

* * *

"Luke, are you sure you want to go there? I mean, just look at it, it's packed with those things! Going in there is just making you risk your life."  
  
"We already are risking our lives, Jonathan. This is the apocalypse, for Christ sake!" The bearded man exclaimed, turning to look at the other male.

Jonathan's deep, blue eyes were filled with worry, and his mouth was set into a deep frown.

Luke sighed and shook his head, running a hand through his hair and looking up.

“Sorry. I just really. . no, I need to go there, Jon. I should check if there's anything we need so we can head out once and for all. Please?"  
  
The blue-eyed man chewed on his lower lip, then finally nodded to the others request, earning a smile from his childhood friend.

Luke ruffled the other black, messy hair and turned around to face the alleyway that led to a street packed with biters.

After a near death experience Jonathan had trying to help a bitten stranger, Luke vowed to never leave his best friend alone ever again.

Even if it means killing their own.

Luke closed his dark, brown eyes and took a deep breath in, his nose tingling as the cold, winter air filled his lungs. He opened them after a moment and started walking forward, gripping a metal baseball bat covered in dried blood.

However. after a few steps, he heard Jonathan gasp and then felt a harsh tug on the back of his shirt. Luke stumbled back, and let himself be pulled behind some dumpsters by Jon.

His blue eyes were looking at something straight ahead, and he blinked, as if confused. Luke peered over the dumpster, and his own eyes widened.

Walking there, as slowly as they could, were a group of about 5 people, all male with bloody weapons in their hands.

Jonathan squinted and leaned forward on the dumpster, trying to get a good look at who it was while scrunching his eyebrows up in confusion.  
  
That was his bad move. Very bad move.  
  
As soon as he leaned in a bit more, he lost his balance and he was sent tumbling forward onto the metal bins, causing them to fall with him and make a loud, clattering noise.

The sudden sound drew the attention of not only the biters, but the humans as well. Jon groaned in pain as he sat up to rub his slightly bleeding nose and look up, his eyes widening when seeing the biters stumbling towards them.

Luke quickly helped him up and started pulling him back, but stopped when the other group started yelling out swears as they attempted to fight off the monsters.

The bearded man shook his head and tried to run away with Jonathan, but the blue-eyed man stopped and shook his head while trying to wipe the blood away from his nose. Luke looked confused and tried to pull Jonathan with him, but failed in doing so.  
  
“We can’t leave them alone, Luke! We should help them, I mean, it is my fault that I made the bins fall over, so they shouldn’t suffer the consequences! Please Luke, we have to help!”

Luke bit down on his lower lip and was about to disagree with his friend, but was cut off when he finally got a closer look at the people.

And that’s when it finally hit Luke. Those weren’t just random people. No, they were friends, their friends.

Family.

All at once, Luke took his baseball and swung it just as a biter got too close. Jonathan jumped back a bit, and grinned at Luke. He himself took a machete out from his backpack and stepped forward, not hesitating to slice the biters as soon as they neared them.

It wasn't easy, however.

More and more biters seemed to join the commotion as Luke and Jon struggled to fight them off. Suddenly, the beeping of a truck as well as the headlights cut through the night. Both males were barely able to jump out the way as a truck drove through the biters and stopped right in front of them, the backdoors opening quickly.

Jonathan didn't hesitate to quite literally jump into the truck as Luke did the same, barely escaping the snapping jaws of the biter. The engine of the truck revved up and soon, they were off quickly,  leaving behind the growing number of biters.

Both North Carolinians leaned against each other in the back of the car as they panted, sweat dripping down their faces as Luke licked his lips and cracked open an eye.

He saw three people at the front of the truck, and as soon as they were far away, turned to look back at them.

One of them gasped,  causing Luke to chuckle as the truck came to a complete stop. Jonathan turned his head to look at them and grinned, holding up a peace sign as the male from before looked between them both.

“Luke?? And. . Jonathan.  . ?!”

“Yo, long time no see, Scotty.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still dont have a schedule but thank you all for the kudos and comments, it's greatly appropriated considering that this is my first story on here,,
> 
> anyways, thank you all for reading, and i hope you guys have a nice day :^)))


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The silence is becoming too much for David to bear any longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys happy new years!! finally got around to making a new chapter, so sorry if it's like this often, school is getting prettyyy busy
> 
> also wrote this at around 12:22 am and I'm t i r e d

It was quiet.   
  
The silence that surrounded him made David uneasy as he paced around in his living room and ran a hand through his hair, trying not to suffocate in the stillness. He was just so used to there being noise everywhere, it was. . weird.

He eventually made himself sit on the edge of his couch and take deep breaths in and out, attempting to calm his queasy nerves down.

It had been at least three weeks since the government fell and the military no longer existed. He had never felt so. . scared and terrified before. 

The way that panic flooded the country like a tsunami as he hid out in his apartment the first night since the government fell.

All he could do was curl up in his couch as he heard pain filled screams swim around in the cold air outside. He only curled more into himself in fear as the monsters pounded and scratched at his door from the other side, moaning and groaning in a way that sends chills running down your spine. 

In a situation like this, he wasn't fine. And as long as the outbreak continued, he'd never be okay.   
  
Because the memories were already killing him slowly.   
  
A sudden knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts as he flinched and froze in place.

He wrapped his blanket even more around his trembling body, as if it were a shield and it would protect him from anything and everything trying to hurt him.

He closed his eyes and took deep, shaky breaths in, clenching his hands tightly to stop them from shaking.

A second knock caused him to let out a small, barely audible gasp as he stood up and let the blanket fall off his shoulders and pool on the ground below him. That's when it hit him.   
  
Those things can't knock, since they don't have a functioning brain anymore.

So that must mean that whatever was knocking outside his door was. . 

Human. 

He shuffled towards the door silently, grabbing his .38 Revolver on the way as he hesitated before looking into the peephole on his door.

As soon as he was able to see who it was, his heart skipped a beat and a huge grin made its way onto his chapped lips as he all but threw the door open and enveloped the person, no, people into a tight hug. 

They both seemed surprised at first, but soon gave him a strong hug back, smiles forming on their own lips as well.

After he pulled away, he saw that many others were there with him, and he laughed as he hugged them as well. They weren't strangers, or people who wanted to hurt him like before. No, not at all. 

They were friends, or what David considered family.

They were standing in front of him, tired but alive.

Breathing, hearts beating, skin warm.

They were alive, unlike most of the world outside, and David made a mental note to keep them that way. 

As soon as their small reunion was over, they quickly moved inside David's apartment as he let each one of them inside, then locked the door once they were in. He turned to face them, and couldn't help but let happy tears well up in his eyes as he tried to wipe them before they saw him.

But the two people from before caught him and pulled him into a warm embrace as he laughed and let them do so.   
  
"Come on, you big cry baby! Stop crying, we're here. That's what you wanted right? Right, so shut up and love us." a squeaky voice said as they wrapped their arm around the others shoulders and pulled him into a headlock, rubbing his knuckles on David's head.

The other man chuckled and gave the former a playful push to get him off the laughing Irish. But even after that, he kept laughing, for once feeling happy and relaxed since the outbreak.   
  
"Leave him, Arlan, I haven't felt so. . alive since society fell and this is the first time I've felt another person's touch in three weeks. Thank you, though. . really, thank you two for getting everyone and bringing them here alive. T-Thank you so much. ." his voice quivered and he looked down in an attempt to hide his crying face.

Arlan looked at Lui, then at everyone, smiling and scratching the back of his head. He told everyone to make themselves comfortable, then excused himself to take David to his room, Lui trailing behind them. 

Once they made it to the Irishman's room, they closed and locked the door, sitting him down gently on his mattress and kneeling in front of him. David hid his face in his hands and sobbed softly into them, repeating the word 'Thank you' over and over again as they gently tried to calm him down.

Lui took a seat next to him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders, bringing him close and cooing gentle words into his ear, while Arlan played with his messy hair gently and rubbed his arms. Soon enough, David calmed down and only sniffled and hiccupped into the shorter male next to him.

Arlan sighed and crossed his arms, thinking for a moment before shaking his head. Before all this went down, they had agreed to meet up at David’s home for a small get together.

Everyone was planning on going,  especially Lui and himself. 

It was obvious they had a thing for each other, yet never really pointed it out or mentioned it. They did kiss a couple of times, but they never thought about it too much. They always kept it between their closest friends and only acted like good friends out in public. 

So really,  it wasn't much of a surprise that they were worried over David crying so much, giving him small pecks on his cheeks and whispering words to him that made him blush.   
  
After a few more minutes, David was finally calm, once in awhile letting out a small sniffle or two.

But he was mostly quiet, head buried in Lui's shoulder as the other hummed a small song to him while rubbing his back. Arlan smiled at the sight, then gave the Irish a small peck on his forehead, before unlocking the door and closing it behind himself. 

He took a deep breath in, then walked back to the living room where the rest of the people were. They watched him come out of the room, before one of them stood up and walked over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.   
  
"Everything alright over there, Arlan? Or do you need us to move to a different location for the mean time? I mean, this whole building is abandoned, so it wouldn't be hard trying to find a room to spend the night in."   
  
"Nah, it's all chill, Evan. Anyways, I think Nogla would want you guys to stay, that's why he told us to come here. Anyways, make sure everyone gets something to eat, as well as a quick shower. You guys really deserve it."   
  
"You do too, dude. I mean, you did get all of us here safely. I don't know how we can ever repay that back." 

Arlan snorted and waved it off, while Evan smiled and went to tell the rest what to do. 

At the mention of food, Craig stood up and ran to the kitchen, looking through some cabinets. To their surprise, it was pretty full, long lasting food lining the shelves. The only thing they didn't bother checking was the fridge, knowing full well how it would smell.

Soon, they took cans and bags of food out to make something to eat, happy to be in a kitchen for once in a long time. Just as they were discussing who wanted to take a shower first, Lucas looked up and raised his hand.   
  
"Can I go first?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck slightly. Craig grinned and moved next to him, wrapping his arm around the younger's shoulder and pulling him in.   
  
"Of course, the little ones go first, after all!"   
  
"First off all, fuck you. Second, stop calling me little! You're only like 3 years older than me Craig." he exclaimed, jabbing the other’s side.

Craig winced and yelped, pulling away quickly. He held onto his side with a pain filled expression, and Lucas immediately regretted his action.

David, who had just come out of the room with Lui, looked at the British man with a confused expression and looked at the shorter male to his right. He sighed and scratched at his head as he walked over to him and grabbed Craig's shoulder, leading him to the kitchen.

There, he had him sit on the counter as everyone went silent. Slowly and carefully, he lifted up the other’s dirty shirt and put it to the side as David felt his eyes go wide.

Craig's pale skin was covered in bandages and bruises, some small but others big. The biggest bruise was on the right side of his ribs, where it peaked over and under the bandages that were wrapped around his ribcage securely. 

Lui asked the other soft, hushed questions as the British man either nodded or shook his head. The shorter nodded and looked at David's surprised face as his brown eyes travelled over to the British man once again.   
  
"We were attacked by a group of people once we started getting close to this place. Got a couple of kicks and punches, but Craig got a crowbar to the ribs. Fortunately, there's only a big-ass bruise forming where he got hit and he sometimes has difficulty breathing because of the swelling. That's only if he stresses that area too much.  He was lucky to not have his ribs broken, or that would've been a pain in the ass to take care of.” 

David nodded and swallowed thickly, overlooking the bruises once again before closing his eyes and shaking his head. Craig carefully shimmied off the counter with Marcel's help, while Lucas handed him a small water bottle alongside painkillers. He apologized softly, while Craig waved it off by calling him 'milk titties.' The younger rolled his eyes, then went to the bathroom to take a shower.   
  
After a while, they had all showered and changed into some extra clothes that David had laying around, no longer complaining about smelling like shit and for once actually relaxing.

They had all settled in the living room, blankets and pillows strewn around as they laid on them and talked. Craig was already passed out on David's bed, having the Irishman literally drag him to the mattress after he refused the offer the first time. The others were sleeping on the extra beds David had in his guest rooms, needing to carry them out of the rooms and into the living room just so they keep an eye out on the door that led outside.

They thanked David once again for the dinner, but mostly for the beds, since they were forced to sleep either against walls, on the concrete floor, in abandoned vans or sometimes, not sleep at all.

While they rested in the beds, they talked and laughed in hushed tones as to not wake the injured man up. Evan snorted as Lui spoke in his squeaker voice, while Arlan spoke using his Carlos voice, complaining about something in Spanish. 

Marcel and Lucas tried to stop themselves from laughing as did Nogla, who kept smiling widely in happiness. 

After a few more minutes of playing around, they said goodnight to each other and pulled the blankets over themselves, falling into a deep and comfortable slumber that they hadn't had in weeks.

Soon, the room was filled with soft breathing and quiet snoring, the sounds making David feel safe. He felt Lui move around to face him, then felt his finger poking his stomach gently, causing him to let out a small huff. 

He subconsciously nuzzled closer to the other, and felt him rest his forehead against his own. David could almost see Lui staring at him through the darkness, and that somehow made him feel relaxed, happy even. He didn't understand why, but it just did, and that was more than enough to make him yawn tiredly and close his eyes. 

Lui pecked the Irishman's forehead, then nose, pulling him a bit closer and gently whispering to him.   
  
"Sweet dreams, David. I'll still be here tomorrow morning, so don't worry and rest, okay? You'll no longer be alone again. Promise."   
  
And with that, David felt himself slipping into a peaceful slumber, the darkness surrounding him no longer cold like before, but rather warm and pleasant. 

Just enough to keep those memories away.


	4. Chapter 4

"Come on Felix, eat it. You know I won't let you leave if you don't eat."  
  
"But--"  
  
"No buts. Now eat, we still have a long way to travel."  
  
The Swedish man sighed and looked at the can in front of him with doubt, not moving at all to try and grab it. It was a fresh can of soup, still warm from having been cooked over a fire.  
  
He hesitated, before slowly wrapping his hand around it and picking it up. It smelled good, and the warmth emitting from it was comforting against his cold hand.

Slowly, he brought it up to his chapped lips and tilted his head back, letting the warm liquid travel down his throat.  
  
Cry smiled from besides him as he finished eating his own meal, then stood up, going to the corner of the room and placing the empty can there.

He hesitated for a moment, before going back to his backpack and placing two full cans next to the empty one, in case someone else needed it. He smiled just a bit more, before turning back to his Swedish friend.

Felix finished his food just as Cry moved around and was now staring at the ground silently, letting the thoughts swim around in his head.  
  
Before he knew it, he felt arms wrap around him in a comforting way. He smiled a bit and leaned into the other’s hold, his eyes closing at the same time. Cry rested his chin against the other’s soft, blonde locks as he rubbed his arms gently, humming a small tune to try and comfort the other.

After a while of just sitting there, Felix lifted his head just enough to look at the other’s eyes, blue and sparkling with concern. They stared into each other’s eyes for a few more moments, before Felix leaned in and placed his forehead against his.  
  
Eventually, they both ended up leaning in a bit, lips brushing against each other’s softly as Cry closed his eyes and relaxed. Felix pressed his lips against his gently and softly, before pulling away slowly. Cry opened his eyes and kissed him again, whispering against the other’s lips.  
  
“Do you ever think about reconciling with her? You know, telling her that you’re sorry? Or that you didn’t do it on purpose?”  
  
“No. . I’m just scared I guess. It’s my fault entirely, completely my fault. If I had only listened to her, maybe she’d still be here with me. .”  
  
“May I ask what happened. . ?”  
  
Felix stopped kissing him and leaned back, quietly breathing in deeply before grabbing the other’s hands and squeezing them tightly.  
  
“We were going to the camp where the military was located and, on the way there, we heard a little girl crying nearby, hiding in a car. When Marzia was able to coax her out, she told us her dad had been trying to help his wife who had gotten bitten. But. . he never made it back to her. So she stayed there like her dad told her to, not moving or going out. We let her travel with us, and during the night, she was complaining that her stomach was hurting. I decided to run to the pharmacy near there to try and find some medicine for her. Before I left, Marzia told me not to go, because she was scared that something might happen to both of them.”  
  
“I went nonetheless. And when I came back I. . The girl had turned and was in the process of eating Marzia. I got so scared. . I shot her in the head, as for Marzia. . She was gone, Cry. Gone in a few minutes. Her eyes were so dull and lifeless. . I didn’t sleep that night. _Didn’t_ want to, because her eyes were haunting me. The look in them, filled with despair, pain, sadness. . She was terrified. She counted on me to protect her, both of us, and I let her down. . I let her die and I just. .”  
  
A shaky sigh left his lips, but he shook his head, trying to shake off the tears that were threatening to spill. The american looked at him, emotions building up in his own heart as he leaned forward and hugged him tightly. Felix wrapped his own arms around him as well and buried his face into his shoulder, eyes closed tightly.

“It wasn’t your fault Felix. You did what you needed to do, and you tried. It wasn’t your fault the girl never told you she was bit, and it isn’t your fault Marzia wasn’t able to run in time. Incidents were bound to happen, and this was one of them. But it isn’t your fault, and it isn’t hers either. Maybe it happened for a reason, maybe not. We’ll never know. But what I do know is that it’s time to move on. You can’t let her take you down like this, Felix. You need to move on and continue your life, for you, for her.”  
  
“For you too. .” Felix murmured, kissing his neck lightly. Cry smiled and cupped his face in his hands.

“And for me too. As long as you believe and have a reason to fight for, keep using that as motivation to live.”  
  
The conversation ended at that, and the two were back at being silent like before, except this time, the silence wasn’t as heavy as it was a few weeks before. It was lighter, more relieved.

Perfect even.

At that, they decided to leave the building behind, burying those bad thoughts there and walking through the empty streets, sun high in the sky and cold air travelling through them.

Maybe moving on really was the best choice, after all. As much as he loved her dearly, Felix knew he needed to leave it all behind and keep going.

She would want this, he told himself.  
  
‘Marzia wouldn’t want me to dwell on this for so long. Sure, I shouldn’t forget her, but I shouldn’t bring myself down for an accident I didn’t mean to cause. I’m sorry, despite it all Marzia. But just know that I love you, and I hope that wherever you are, you are safe and sound. I love you, Marzia, and I hope you forgive me for not being there for you .’

For a split second, he thought he saw her standing in front of him, beautiful as always. She smiled, before waving, and her image slowly faded into the surrounding area. He would’ve screamed, cried for her to come back, but this time, he let her leave.

He let her fade away peacefully into his heart and mind, into a place so secure, somewhere he would never forget her.  
  
From besides him, Cry saw the scene play itself out, and he himself looked forward when Felix’s eyes widened. Even though he saw nothing standing there, he smiled. He smiled because he knew his friend was able to put Marzia’s soul at peace, once and for all.

And he was proud of Felix because of that.  
  
The sound of cans falling over made both of them turn to the side to stare at the location of where the sound came from. Cry pulled out a knife from his back pocket as Felix took his gun out.

They both stayed quiet, waiting for something or someone to come out, either dead or alive. There was a shushing sound, and it all went silent, before Cry slowly walked forward with his knife raised. There was a gasp, before a figure came walking out of the shadows, eyes wide and clothes dirty with blood.

Both looked at each other, before Felix came running up to the other person and practically threw himself on him to hug him. They both fell back, but even that didn’t make the Swede let go of the other. He chuckled and patted the other’s back, before Cry walked over to them with a confused expression on his face.  
  
“Ken. . ?”

* * *

David awoke to the sound of voices murmuring around him, as well as someone holding him close and comfortingly. Instead of opening his eyes and letting them know he was awake, he stayed still, only moving around to turn over.

The voices seized for a second, before they continued, a tiny bit louder this time. The first voice he recognized was Evan’s, gruff and heavy from sleep.  
  
“We can hold out here for a while longer. We have the food, shelter, weapons. This is good as it gets in this type of world.”  
  
Someone hummed, before they let out a small sigh.  
  
“I still think we should move out before they find us again. We were able to hide and lose them for a while, but after that attack, they’re on our asses right now. We can’t risk getting anyone else hurt.”  
  
“I understand, but look at this Lui. Look at all of this! This is the closest we have to anything good.”

David felt Lui move one of his arms away, then heard a muffled groan. He risked opening his eyes just barely, and saw the other male with his hand over his face, rubbing it in frustration.

After a moment of silence, Lui casted his eyes towards Nogla and stared at him silently. The Irishman closed his eyes quickly and continued acting as if he was asleep, attempting to control his breathing and keep it steady. He felt himself relax as Lui ran a hand through his messy hair, the action almost putting him to sleep.

There was a small chuckle from someone else, most likely Marcel, and their comment almost made him sit up and yell at them in embarrassment.  
  
“You’ve always cared so much for him, huh, Lui? You and Arlan both. You three would make a cute couple.”  
  
“Perdón, but we do make a cute couple, mister.” Arlan’s voice came through, words laced with humour. They chuckled about it, but it was true. Both Lui and Arlan loved and cared deeply about Nogla, more than just mutual friends. So when Arlan spoke, he meant it seriously.

David couldn’t help but smile slightly, his heart racing a bit faster from being flustered. The Irishman heard all of them move around, and soon the room was quiet once again, as if they had left or simply gone to sleep.

Just as he started drifting off again, he felt Lui pull him closer to himself, before pecking his cheek gently. His face, as well as the tip of his ears, immediately turned a bright red colour as he couldn’t help but bury his face into his arm.

He whined a bit as he heard Lui laugh softly, as well as another kiss being placed on his forehead, now from someone different. Slowly, David opened his eyes and stared up at Lui and Arlan, both who had a smile on their face.  
  
“Good morning, sleepyhead. Sleep well?”  
  
“You two cunts can go fuck yourselves-” was David’s only response as he sat up and turned away from them, face turning a darker shade of red as they only laughed and patted his head.  
  
“You know you still love us.”  
  
“. . Yeah, I do. . “  
  
“Okayyyyy, time to stop flirting you lovebirds. Also, do you have something stronger than ibuprofen for pain, David? It’s for Craig, so that he can take it when he wakes up.” Marcel stated, leaning against the wall and waiting.  
  
The Irishman nodded and got up from his mattress on the bed, briefly stretching, before going to the bathroom with Marcel. There, he opened the mirror cabinet and rummaged through the medicine there, accidentally dropping a couple of bottles onto the ground.

He eventually found it and handed a bottle to Marcel, just as the other picked up the ones that fell.

“Hey, that’s an awful lot of sleeping medicine you have. Are you having trouble sleeping?”

David’s eyes slightly widened, then looked down, closing his eyes. Marcel stared at him, then placed the bottles in the sink. He grabbed the taller man’s face and made him look at him.

“David, can you sleep at all?”

“I. . I can but. . The memories come back.”

“Memories? Of what?”

“Of when they tried to break me. .”

* * *

 

Laughter filled the small room as a lantern lit it up, shadows standing still on the walls. Jonathan smiled widely as he sat next to Luke, warm food in his hands and a water bottle at his feet.

They were seated on these dusty, yet comfortable couches they had found in the building, and now they were currently eating and catching up on how everyone had gotten to this point.  
  
“So, Scotty, tell us. How’d you find them all?” asked Jon, blue eyes filled with wonder and his smile wide and white. Scotty held his finger up as he placed his food down, then leaned back.  
  
“More like how they found me . I was trapped in a liquor store when the biggest of outbreaks started, and worst of all, one of the people in there was already infected. We didn’t notice until after the owner had locked up the store completely and we were in there for over 24 hours.”  
  
“The person started puking everywhere and, before we knew it, half of the people in there were already bitten. We tried to eliminate them but. . It was too hard. Taking a human life is too hard.”  
  
“Anyways, that’s when these guys stepped in. Right as they started becoming biters, mister Panda here thought it was a good idea to chop up the back door using an axe. And boy was it a good idea. If it wasn’t for him appearing at that moment, I probably would’ve turned into one of them by now.” Panda smiled cheekily and laughed, scratching the back of his neck.  
  
“Chilled and I were just fucking hungry and I wanted to get something to eat before we both headed out of the city to the nearest military base. Needless to say, we both got something more than just some grub.”  
  
Luke nodded as Jonathan leaned back and let out a groan as he stretched. He ran a hand through his black hair and sighed a bit, before looking over at his closest friend.  
  
“Well, Luke saved my ass when this all started. If it wasn’t because he stayed there with me, I would’ve been dead by now too.”  
  
“Care to share?”  
  
“Long story short, Jon saw someone limping outside his house and thought they were hurt. His great idea was to take them inside and help them. But as soon as he called out to them, they jumped at him and nearly bit his goddamn face off. If it wasn't because his sister looked out the window and screamed, we wouldn't have noticed.” Luke told them, ruffling said man’s hair playfully. Jon smiled and pushed the other’s hand away.  
  
Anthony took his red Mario hat off and placed it on his lap, looking at Jonathan and then at Luke before rubbing his eyes and standing.  
  
“Well, I'll take the first shift. I'll wake someone else up when it's their turn.”  
  
There was a series of complains as he only shrugged them off with a smile and went to sit by the door with a gun in hand, back to them as he watched their shadows dance freely on the wall.

He turned his head to look at them all as they moved around and got comfortable, each of them soon going to sleep after a while. He shook his head and turned back to the door, the only noises being their snores and soft breathing, and the wind blowing outside.

Before he knew it, he was standing next to a window, looking out and up to the dark, starry sky. The moon shone gently in the night, lighting up the world underneath it and giving it an eerie glow.

All of a sudden, an ear splitting screech broke through the peaceful atmosphere, causing everyone to jump and and gasp in surprise.

The screech was loud and inhumane, causing a chill to run up the Italian man’s spine as goosebumps rose on his skin. They all hurried over to the window and looked out, trying to see if they could locate the source of the scream.  
  
They were met with dozens of glowing eyes beneath them, tumbling around as they staggered along the dark streets. Their eyes glowed a bright orange colour, and their piercing screeches filled the air. Chilled shivered a bit and sighed, gripping the ledge of the window.  
  
“What the fuck are these things?”

* * *

"Brock, are you sure this is the right way? We've been walking for hours now and I haven’t seen a single military base anywhere.”  
  
“I'm sure it's just a little while longer. The directions they gave us lead this way. . “  
  
The Irishman sighed and shook his head, pulling the strap of his backpack higher up on his shoulder and following the other male. After a few more minutes, Brock stopped and turned to Brian, rubbing his temples tiredly.  
  
“Let's just stop here for tonight. We're both pretty tired and we haven’t rested in while, so let's just turn in for the night and we'll continue in the morning.”  
  
“Agreed.”  
  
Both men found a small house not to far away from there, and decided to camp out in it. Quietly, they made their way inside just as one of the creatures started coming out from around the corner of the house next door. Brock closed the door slowly and quietly, while Brian walked in deeper into the house to make a quick scan of any possible threats.  
  
While searching, he came upon a room from which a horrible smell emitted, making him gag. He knew what was on the other side, yet he still risked opening the door, just to make sure.  
  
The plain sight of the scene made him freeze in place as a wave of nausea overtake him. He swallowed back the urge to heave as he closed his eyes and looked away.  
  
Laying on the king sized bed was a family of four, the parents on each end of the bed while their kids laid in the middle of both of them. Both the mother, as well as the two kids had their hands folded gently, while the father only had one hand laying over his stomach. Each had a bullet hole through their head, the blood staining their once white pillows a deep red.  
  
‘They probably didn't want to catch whatever was going around outside, so they took the easy way out. At least they weren't afraid to die.’ he thought to himself, shaking his head and hesitantly making his way inside.

He made his way over to the father, then gently removed the revolver from his stiff hand, putting it aside as he folded both his hands over his torso gently. Then, he went to a nearby closet and pulled a blanket out, tossing it over their bodies gently and covering them up. As soon as that was done, he spotted a note near the foot of the bed, the handwriting neat and simple.  
  
‘Please, whoever finds this, take what you need. A gift from my family to you. I hope that whatever you find proves to be useful to you in anyway. May God be with you in this time of need.’  
  
Brian stared at the note a bit longer, before looking over at the covered up figures, a small smile tugging at his lips.  
  
“Thank you, sir.”  
  
Not long after, he had his hands full of ammunition, guns, medicine, things that were, true to the man’s word, useful.  
  
While the scene played out, Brock was leaning against the door and watching Brian, a smile on his lips as he saw how careful the man was with a family that they didn't even know.

As soon as the Irishman was done collecting all of the things, he pushed away from the frame and made his way over to him, overlooking the things he had collected. His eyes nearly damn sparkled from happiness as he saw just how much stuff they were able to get.  
  
“Oh my god, this is more than enough for both of us! We ought to leave behind some things in case someone else were to come through.”  
  
“I did, this is just a small portion of what the guy had. It's almost as if he knew this were coming and he was getting himself ready. .”  
  
Brock shook his head, then took the things out of Brian’s hands and started putting them in his backpack. As soon as that was down, he slung the pack onto his shoulder again and nudged the other.  
  
“Come on, let's go. We'll sleep out in another room so we can leave them alone.”  
  
He nodded, then followed the other male out of the room, stopping only to close the door on his way out.  Both of them then found a room near the back of the hallway, where they decided to stay for the time being. Brock put his stuff down, then stretched, before rubbing his eyes and looking at the other.  
  
“I'm taking first shift. I'll wake you up in about 3 hours so you can go.”  
  
“Nope. I wanna do it this time. You've been taking first shift for a while now, so let me take it.”  
  
“It's fine, Brian. I can do it-”  
  
“Lalalalala! I can't hear you!” the Irishman mocked, hands covering his ears as he walked out, ignoring the other's protests. As soon as he got to the living room, he plopped himself on a couch and leaned back, taking his gun out and loading it. He heard things moving around and finally, he heard the creak of the bed as Brock laid on it.  
  
Brian smiled, then relaxed a bit, but soon his smile faltered the longer he sat that, alone.

He brought his right hand up to his left one and scratched at his forearm, a habit he had of doing when he felt anxious. He didn't want anyone to know, didn't want _Brock_ to know, but he knew he had to tell him sooner or later.  
  
He had to tell him that he was fucking terrified of those things out there.  
  
After seeing what they do, and what they do to you , he's become petrified of the biters, his breath going short the minute he saw or heard one.

But that wasn’t the only thing he was hiding from Brock. Just the thought of it made his skin crawl and caused his body to shake.  
  
And that was that he knew.  
  
He knew the secret the government refused to tell their people.  
  
And that was that they all had it.  
  
They were all infected.  
  
It didn't matter whether you were bit or not.  
  
They were monsters after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyy Ash here with a new chapter
> 
> sorry if there a couple of errors here and there, I am currently writing this while my eyes aren't cooperating with me rn even with glasses on, so please forgive me if I misspell a lot of the words,,
> 
> anyways I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter and have a nice day or night, bye!!
> 
> ;^))))))


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asuh dudes
> 
> there's a new chapter
> 
> sorry if there a couple of errors here and there,,,
> 
> anyways I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter and have a nice day or night
> 
> bye!!
> 
> ;^))))))

“Ken? Ken holy fuck, it is you!!” Felix nearly shouted, his hug on the other tightening.

Ken laughed and kept hugging him, his beard scratching Felix’s cheek as the two friends embraced. A few more people stepped out of the shadows, and Cry’s eyes seemed to light up.

Minx, Krism and Mary. His blue eyes fell to Mary’s arms, where a small bundle of blankets laid there. The brunette woman smiled softly, and he smiled back.  
  
“Holy fuck, you guys are alive!” a British voice cut through his thoughts as he turned to look at a slightly taller female with lively coloured brown eyes and black hair tied up into a ponytail. Another girl with a red hoodie stood next to her, hand on her hip and the other hanging at her side. Cry chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.   
  
“Yup, we ar--OOF!”   
  
The air in his lung nearly left him as Minx hugged him tightly, a goofy grin on her face.

Slowly, Cry wrapped his arms around her and put his forehead on her shoulder. Their sole presence brought a strange calmness over him as he relaxed for the first time since the apocalypse started.

He then felt warmth behind him as strong arms wrapped around both of them in a hug. Cry’s lower lip trembled as he buried his face farther into his friend’s shoulder, a lump in his throat making it hard to breath.  
  
Before he knew it, a warm liquid was traveling down his face and soaking Minx’s shirt as he closed his eyes and smiled.   
  
He had finally found his family.

* * *

“Hey, you tired?”  
  
“Aren’t you?”   
  
“Not really.”   
  
Blue eyes rolled in a playful way as he punched the curly haired man. Mark chuckled as he pushed the Irishman slightly, careful of their surroundings. Jack laughed as he stepped over a fallen lamp post, broken shards of glass crunching under his shoes.   
  
“It’s getting dark, we should find shelter for the night.”   
  
“Can’t we keep walking for a while longer? It’s not even dark yet.”   
  
“. . Fine, but just for a few more minutes.”   
  
The Irish nodded and kept walking, soon turning his head up towards the cloudy sky as he felt a droplet of rain hit his nose.

Soon, a steady rain settled itself over the empty city, the sound of distant thunder rumbling through the sky. Jack stopped and closed his eyes, keeping his head tilted up and sighing.

The water hit his sweaty face and cooled him down, while the sounds of the rain hitting the ground created a sort of lullaby for him. There was a distant cry of an owl, it’s sound echoing eerily through the abandoned buildings surrounding both Jack and Mark. The more relaxed his was, the more sounds he heard. A few birds chirping, the water dripping into a formed puddle, a helicopter. .  
  
A helicopter?   
  
Jack’s eyes opened quickly as he turned to stare at Mark, sharing the familiar expression of confusion as him.

For a second, they thought they imagined it, but the sound kept growing louder and louder. Looking up once again, Jack ran back a bit and tried to spot the flying machine.

Alas, the helicopter came into view as it circled the tilted building that loomed over them like a quiet giant. Mark suddenly grabbed Jack’s hand and ran forward, shouting and waving his arm above his head.

The blue-eyed man did the same until suddenly, a malicious growl came from the building to the left of them.

Turning to look at the source of the sound, Jack was met with glowing orange eyes, the black pupil dilated as it looked at him.

Shocked, he froze as he saw more and more eyes appear around the other, until a sudden boost of adrenaline ran through his veins and he squeezed Mark’s hand tightly, starting to jog back.  
  
“Mark. . “   
  
“Hey!! Over here!! Help us!!”   
  
“Mark. . !”   
  
“Help! There are survivors over here!”   
  
“Mark!”   
  
The American whipped his head to face Jack, about to ask him what he wanted, until he saw it.   
  
Those eyes which followed their every movement.   
  
Jack shushed him and started turning around to run away, but he stopped as he didn’t feel Mark budge. Turning, he saw the American staring longingly at the chopper flying overhead, his hand still intertwined with the Irishman’s.

Jack stared at Mark, before he grabbed his chin and made the other face him. Once those brown eyes were on him, he shook his head slowly and again, squeezed his hand.  
  
“But Sean. .”   
  
Sean.

Mark only ever called him that when it was important.

As much as he wanted to run towards the chopper and keep yelling, he knew that it would be too late. They wouldn't be able to catch the pilot’s attention in time before those things came running out. The only thing keeping them in was the dim light which was already starting to fade.

Mark sighed, gave the helicopter one last look, then ran. Jack smiled a bit and ran besides him, never once detaching their linked hands.  
  
Only then was it after they reached a safe place did they let go, the atmosphere in the room they took protection in changing into something Jack couldn’t quite place a finger on. It was tense, yet calm, no sort of danger threatening them.

However, the same feeling of adrenaline coursed through him whenever he stood next to Mark, or was near him. He shrugged it off, not thinking much about it, until Mark motioned him over near the window he stood by, looking out at the dark city where those monsters now roamed.

Walking over, Jack looked out and placed his hand against the cool pane of glass, the steady rain creating a drumming noise against it.  
  
Before he knew it, Mark was snaking an arm around his waist and pulling him closer to him until their hips met. The Irish stood there, slightly confused, until he chuckled softly and leaned against the other’s shoulder.   
  
“You big goof.”   
  
“Shut up.”   
  
Jack laughed softly and smiled a bit more as he relaxed into the other’s embrace, closing his eyes in the process.

Everything was quiet, except for the rain hitting the window and the screams of the monsters below them.

And it was at the quiet moment that both of them seemed to realize the one thing they never really thought about.  
  
They had the whole city to themselves. 

* * *

Three figures ran through the darkening streets, avoiding areas they knew were over populated.

Once they reached a brick building, the tallest of the three got on one knee and intertwined his fingers together, looking up at one of the other males.  
  
“Gorilla, you go up first. Satt, you go next, I’ll go last. Now hurry!”   
  
Gorilla nodded and, with the help of Satt as well, climbed up the halfway broken ladder and started to climb as quickly as possible. Soon after, Satt stood up but hesitated.   
  
“Are you sure you don’t need help Bryce? I mean, it’s pretty high up-”   
  
“Mike, I’ll be fine. If I jump up high enough, I’ll be able to pull myself up and to you guys.”   
  
“I know, but with the rain, it’s going to make it really slippery.”   
  
Bryce thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head.   
  
“Go.”   
  
Mike sighed and stepped onto Bryce’s hands, grabbing the ladder as soon as he was close enough. Pulling himself up, he began climbing until he stopped and looked down at the blonde.

Bryce looked around and soon spotted a trashcan near the ladder, big and tall enough to help him reach. He jogged towards it and began pushing it, grateful for the water which made it easier to push.

Soon, he placed it right underneath it and began climbing it, until he heard a scream and a hand on his leg.  
  
Quickly, he turned around and kicked the thing in its face, making it stumble back.

However, with the water covering the top of the lid, he began sliding down, just as the creature was ready to pounce again.    
  
A shot rang out through the quiet night as the creature fell to the ground, dead, a bullet hole drilled into its head. Bryce looked up and saw Gorilla standing at the window, a gun in his hand which was pointed at the spot where the thing once stood.

Bryce felt a mixture of relief and anger flare through him as he pushed himself back on top of the trashcan and stood up, grabbing the ladder and starting to climb it just as more of those creatures starting swarming the alleyway.  
  
Once he was at the window, Mike and Gorilla helped him get in, closing it as soon as the taller was inside. Laying on the ground, Bryce panted as the water that had seeped through his clothes soon started making him feel cold. Mike kneeled next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder as soon as he sat up.   
  
“Are you okay? Did. . Did it bite you?”   
  
“How many times do I need to remind you guys, if I am ever in danger, just run. Ammo is extremely scarce nowadays, we can’t afford to just waste it like that!”   
  
“We saved your life! If Mark hadn’t fired that gun, you would be dead by now. That thing would have gotten you!”   
  
Bryce groaned and threw his hoodie off, watching as the water on his hair dripped down onto his dirty jeans. It was silent, before finally he spoke up.   
  
“. . Thank you.”   
  
Mike smiled, then looked at Mark who had turned to look at all the creatures running outside.   
  
“I’m not the one you should be thanking.”   
  
Bryce smiled and got up, going to Gorilla and putting his hand on his shoulder. Mark looked at him, then smiled.   
  
“Thank you, Gorilla, for that amazing save. Really, thank you a lot.”   
  
“It’s no problem, man. Anything for a friend.”   
  
**_.~Please listen to Alive Inside (The Walking Dead Game OST)~._**  
  
Bryce smiled once again, then turned to look at Mike, who had taken off his hoodie and started ringing it to get the water out.   
  
“You two go get changed. Don’t want you catching a flu. I’ll go turn on the fireplace.”   
  
The two males nodded, and with that, Bryce walked out of the room and to the living room. There, he placed his bag down by the door and walked over to the fireplace, placing a few paper in there before grabbing the matchbox laying nearby. Lighting it, he stared at the soft flame for a bit, before placing it on the paper and watching it engulf it and light up.   
  
It’s funny how the world was much like the little flame. What started as a small disease quickly grew and become something bigger, taking the world down with it in the process.

As soon as the warmth started filling the room, Bryce got up and went to his backpack, pulling a piece of paper out of a tiny pocket on the inside of the bag. Carefully unfolding it, he stared at the picture for a while, eyes softening up and lips curling into a gentle smile.   
  
The picture was of him and Ohm, from when Bryce had dragged the man to the amusement park for the first time since he had met him in person.

The picture held so much joy, Ryan’s bright hazel eyes, which were framed with thick glasses, shining with glee and his lips curled up widely into a happy smile. Both had their arms wrapped around each other’s necks, looking into Bryce’s phone as he snapped the picture. He kept smiling as he kept staring at the picture with gentle eyes, standing up with it and staring at the fire blazing in the fireplace.

Thoughts flew around his head as he sighed and closed his eyes, letting his head fall back. Even with so many thoughts, his most important one was of Ryan.  
  
Even in the most crucial of moments, his best friend was always stuck in his mind. Always wondering whether the other man had made it or not. Wondering if he was still alive, running through the streets all alone.   
  
Wondering if the other man ever remembered him just as Bryce remembered him almost everyday. A sigh escaped his pale lips as he hanged his head to look back down at the picture. He smiled one last time, before looking at the door leading to the empty hallway of the hotel.   
  
“Wherever you are, stay safe, Ryan.” 

* * *

“Adam, wake up. We need to keep going.”  
  
“Five more minutes, Max. . “ he mumbled, pulling a skimpy, blue blanket over his head. Max sighed, pulling the blanket off the older male’s head.   
  
“Up. Come on, we’re not that far away from the city. If we can make it there before nightfall, maybe we can find a store to stay in where there might be food.”   
  
Adam sighed and sat up, blinking the sleepiness out of his eyes as he shivered at the coolness of the air blowing in from the various holes in the broken windows of the van they slept in.

Max handed him a jacket and he gratefully slipped it on, sitting up a bit more so he was kneeling on the floor of the van instead. He reached for a bloody machete near his backpack and slipped both of them on, waiting for Max to open the door.  
  
“Hey, where's Ze?”   
  
“He's already outside. Said he wanted to check whether the things had left or not.”   
  
Adam nodded, then looked out of the tainted window of the car.   
  
“Still cloudy?”   
  
A small ‘mhm' was all he got as he got out of the car alongside the other male. He zipped up his jacket all the way and put his hands in his pockets, staring up at the bright, cloudy sky as a cold breeze swept through the empty cars, swaying the nearby trees and picking up the fallen leaves, swirling them in the air.

Adam stared for a bit longer, before turning to face the other two males and they called out his name. His simply gave a signature smile and walked with with them, until a thought crossed his mind.  
  
“Hey, do you think the people over here got to hear?”   
  
“Adam, don't think about that. I'm sure the government prevented the news from saying anything about what will be happening.”   
  
“I know, but they still deserve to know that the government wants to kill every single one of us! Doesn't matter if we're infected or not, they're going to slaughter us!”   
  
“We don't know if that's true. For all we know, it can just be a crazy person spreading rumours.”   
  
“Adam, Max is right. We really have no proof saying that the government is out to get us. We just have to wait and see.”   
  
Adam stared between Ze and Max, then let out a heavy breath he had been holding in.   
  
“You're right. .”   
  
“Look at it this way. We're a bunch of giggling teenage girls who are out hunting for our man. That man is the market. The sooner we get there, the more fun we have!”   
  
“. . I don’t know whether that's the most inspirational thing I’ve heard or the gayest."   
  
“Shut up-”

* * *

”OH SHIT-”  
  
A bang was heard as various things crashed to the ground, a strangled cry leaving Jonathan's lips as he fell on the floor. Just as Luke rushed over to help him, he started to laugh his crazy like laughter.   
  
“What the fuck, Jon? You almost gave me a goddamn heart attack!”   
  
That only seemed to make the blue-eyed man laugh harder, wheezes leaving his lips harder than before. The other man groaned and shook his head, waiting out Jonathan's little giggle fest as Scotty came over to him.   
  
“Hey, I heard a crash from the other room. Everything okay in here?”   
  
“Yeah, just Jon being a stupid fuck and tripping over shit.”   
  
As if on cue, a messy head of black hair peeked out from behind the counter, eyes filled with tears from laughing so hard. He giggled a bit more before standing up and brushing himself off, clearing his throat and grinning.   
  
“Sorry bout that! I uh, I got attacked by a rat and it scared the shit out of me.”   
  
“Is that why you screamed like a little bitch?”   
  
“Shut the fuck up Luke-”   
  
The bearded man chuckled at the others quick response as he went over to the things that had fallen off the shelf from when Jonathan had fallen and inspected some of the cans.

Scotty came up besides him and inspected a can, reading the label and smiling. He turned it to show the other two as his smile widened a bit.  
  
“Look, just our luck! Canned wieners!”   
  
A snort escaped Jon’s lips as he tried to bite back the laughter bubbling in his chest. However, he couldn't keep it in for too long before he just openly laughed, leaning back and holding onto the counter to keep his balance. Luke rolled his eyes and made a small face.   
  
“Out of everything else, you would spot the word wieners from a mile away.”   
  
“What can I say? I'm a sucker for some juicy wiener.”   
  
“S-Stop. . ! I c-can't. . I can’t breathe. . !!” Jon managed to mumble out, his laughter getting a bit harder as he had tears running down his face. Soon, both Panda and Chilled poked their heads around the corner, having heard the commotion from the other room over.   
  
“What the hell is going on in here? And what about canned wieners? That's all I kept hearing.”   
  
“You would, Panda-”   
  
“Shut up or I'll make you suck on this wiener.”   
  
Jonathan weakly slid to the ground as he hugged his stomach, gasping for air through his constant wheezes. Luke, seeing his friend struggling to breathe, grabbed a magazine nearby and fanned him hurriedly, yelling at him to breathe.   
  
It was only until Jonathan stopped giggling that Luke dared to speak.   
  
“Jon, you okay there dude?”   
  
“My goddamn stomach hurts.”   
  
“No shit, you wouldn't stop laughing at the word ‘wiener' every time it was mentioned.”   
  
At the moment Luke realized his mistake a bit too late as Jonathan started to chuckle again, causing the older the roll his eyes and start to drag him out.   
  
“You need to chill-”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this chapter was pretty short, sorry for that,,,
> 
> but hey, at least i got it done !!
> 
> anyways, i wrote some fluff to prepare not only you guys, but myself for the pain that's about to come ;^))))
> 
> anyways yeah, thank you once again for reading and hope you have a nice day/night !!
> 
> and yeah that last part was based off ohm's vid i just thiught I'd include a bit of it-


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey would you look at that
> 
> another chapter so soon
> 
> yeah I kinda worked on this faster than the rest cause like summer vacation is finally here so yeah
> 
> also, smut warning. don't like, don't read.
> 
> anyways, hope yall enjoy and have a nice day or night !! :^))

“Brian. . Briannnn. .”

“Mmm. . I’m up, I’m up. .”

Brock waited until he sat up from the couch to hand him some food. Brian gratefully took it and began eating, before turning to Brock with a mouthful of bread.

“Haf you eafen?”

“Eww, Brian, swallow before you speak!”

The Irish rolled his eyes before swallowing, then cleared his throat.

“No but really, have you eaten anything?”

Brock nodded, before Brian smiled and pecked his lips. The other man snorted and smiled, but kissed him back before standing up.

“Hey, why don’t we take another look around these houses? Maybe there's something in them we can use. Like a radio!”

“Okay, you go on ahead. I’ll catch up to you when you’re ready.”

Brock nodded and stood up, tossing his backpack over his back and heading out. Taking a deep breath, he walked over puddles formed on the pavement and to neighboring houses. He started opening a door to the house on the left, before a cold wind stopped him.

Keeping his hand a few inches off the knob, he stood still to listen for the sound he heard before. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Brian walking over to him.

The Irishman was about to say something, but was stopped as Brock quickly placed a hand over his mouth. Making a shushing motion, he led him behind a bush and squatted so they’d be hidden from view. Brian took Brock’s hand gently off of his mouth and stared at him in confusion.

“Brock, what are you--”

“Sh! Look. .”

Brian turned to look at where Brock pointed, then saw three figures walking seemingly towards their directions. Brian huffed a bit, before taking his gun out of the gun holster on his side. He held it in his hand and removed the safety trigger, ready to shoot if he needed.

That’s when he heard Brock gasp sharply and shoot up. Staring at him confused, Brock started sprinting towards the figures. They stopped and the tallest from them suddenly dropped whatever was in their hands and ran towards Brock, signaling at the other two with him to hold their fire.

They met in the middle, and Brock couldn’t stop himself from jumping on top of the other, his laughter filling the empty air. They fell back onto the wet floor, but the pain barely registered as they kept laughing and embracing.

“Oh my god!! Tyler, it’s you!! It really is you!!”

“I told you I’d make it!”

Brock snorted and hugged him tightly, burying his face in the other’s neck. Tyler held him close as well, eyes closed in happiness.

The other two people that came with Tyler stepped closer, and Brock recognized one of them.

“Ohm?”

“Hey.” he said with a small smile, his grey hoodie dirty and splattered with blood. Brock gave him a smile, then got up while helping Tyler.

“Oh jeez, where do I begin?”

“Let me start. First of all, how did you survive all this? And the bombings too.”

“Bombings?”

Tyler was about to explain, when he heard someone clear their throat behind Brock, looking over him, he saw Brian standing there with his arms crossed and his expression one that he couldn’t read.

He shrugged it off, however, and instead held his hand out for Brian to take as Brian shook it in an old handshake they had made up long ago.

“Great to see you, dude.”

“Same goes to you.”

“Hey, I don’t mean to interrupt this reunion, but I’m hungry as fuck.”

“John, didn’t you eat before we left?”

“No, there wasn’t anything left.”

Ohm bit his lower lip then looked at Brock and smiled sheepishly.

“Do you guys happen to have any food?”

* * *

 “Afterwards, John screamed ‘Dad’ at me when I didn’t pay attention. Let’s just say, I am his father now.” 

“I swear I don’t have a daddy kink-”

Brock laughed and shook his head, continuing to walk besides the match taller male. Tyler snorted and kept chewing on the apple he had been given, sighing in satisfaction.

“We got lucky that that fruit still hadn’t spoiled.”

“Mhm! Hey, you still hungry? I have some leftover bread from the morning.”

“No no, that’s fine. You have to eat too.”

“But-”

Tyler swatted his hand at him, causing Brock to sigh and stare up at the sky. He watched as the grey cloud drifted by slowly, the icy wind biting at his face as he brought the red scarf around his neck higher up.

“So how’d you get out?”

“I was at the airport. I was waiting to get out with Kino when all of a sudden, these things came running in. .  I grabbed Kino’s leash and started running but then one of the things caught up to us and he immediately jumped on it to protect me.”

He stopped to take a deep breath, then sighed shakily.

“The thing bit him before he could do anything, and I had to get him out of there. I pushed the thing off of him, grabbed him and just ran. I ran until I couldn’t anymore, and by the time we reached shelter. . fuck he. . he. . “

A warm hand was placed on his arm as Tyler looked at Brock with hurt eyes which held back tears. Brock shook his head, motioning that he didn’t have to continue, yet Tyler still did.

“He was turning into one of them. . I didn’t want my dog to die like this so I. . I shot him. I shot him through the head and prevented him from turning into those things. . And ever since then, I’ve just felt so. . empty.”

“Tyler. .”

Before he knew it, Brock pulled him into a tight hug and squeezed him, causing Tyler to hug back and nearly goddamn cling onto him. He felt a lump rise in his throat as he buried his face deeper into Brock’s shoulders, letting the tears run free.

“It’s okay Tyler. . Let it all out. You’re here with us, and you’re safe. As long as we stay together, you always have a family to count on. Alright?”

“Mhm.” came the muffled response from Tyler as he kept crying on Brock’s shoulder. Brock let him, and both of them seemed to be oblivious of Brian, who was almost green with envy.

Ohm noticed and was about to make a remark, but was stopped by John who simply put a hand on the other’s shoulder and shook his head. Ryan stared at him, then sighed and continued walking. They heard a scream in the distance, all too familiar to them.

“Come on, there’s an office building right there. It seems secure enough to spend the night in. Let’s go!”

* * *

 

“Okay well, since it seems we’re stuck here for the night, might as well rest. You guys lay down to sleep, I’ll take a look around to see if there’s anything we might need.”

“I’ll go with you.” Brian immediately said, a bit surprised on how forceful that came out.

“Uh, alright. . You guys rest for a bit alright?”

“Yes **_mom._** ” added Tyler as Brock laughed and stepped out of the room alongside Brian. Brian’s fingers twitched in anticipation as they walked farther and farther away from the room, yet he knew he couldn’t do it.

Not yet at least.

Soon they entered a room about 4 floors above, where Brock decided to enter and look around. Brian looked around, then walked in, closing the door and locking it behind himself quietly. He found Brock looking through some boxes, and it was then that he let loose.

( **WARNING: sexual activity starts here. skip to next horizontal line if you rather not read.)**

Walking over, he stood behind Brock and placed his hand lightly on the other's ass, giving it a squeeze. Brock huffed and swatted his hand away, looking over some things strewn around a top the office table. Brian growled softly and placed his hands on Brock’s hips, gripping them and pulling him back so his bottom would touch the Irishman crotch.

Brock sighed and turned to look at Brian, surprised by the possessive look in his eyes. Before he could blink, Brian pulled him back and pushed him against a wall, immediately littering his neck with open-mouth kisses and bites that were sure to leave marks. Brock struggled against him, but once those soft lips were on a certain spot on his neck, his knees went weak and he slowly started giving in.

Brian’s hand slipped beneath the other’s shirt and nimble fingers travelled up and down, feeling the other’s soft skin and perky nipples. Brock mouthed the words wait, but they went unheard as Brian leaned in and breathed into the other’s ear gently.

"You are all mine and mine only.”

Shivering, the other male panted and pushed the other a bit, looking at them straight in the eyes with his own soft brown ones.

“What has gotten into you all of a sudden?”

Ignoring the question, Brian grabbed the hem of Brock’s shirt and pulled it up, throwing it into the abyss of the dark room. Immediately after, his mouth kissed up and down his chest, until he was kneeling on the ground in front of the other man.

Brian looked up at Brock with lust filled eyes, leaning in and grabbing the zipper of his pants with his teeth. Slowly, he unzipped them and used his fingers to unbutton his pants. Brock groaned lowly and bit his bottom lip, staring down at the Irishman as he pulled down his underwear just enough as to reveal the other’s member.  

The other man threw his head back and couldn't hold back a moan as the former wrapped his pretty pink lips around his shaft. Bobbing his head up and down, Brian licked and sucked on the places where he knew the other was sensitive. At some point, he suddenly took him all in, feeling Brock hit the back of his throat. He choked a bit, but kept going nonetheless, earning moans and grunts from Brock.

Brock gripped his hair tightly and panted, thrusting his hips just slightly into the other's mouth. This caused Brian to moan, the vibrations of the sound making the man's knees to weaken.

As he felt his orgasm build up, he pulled out, much to his liking. Brian was just about to get him back in when Brock stopped him and shook his head.

“Get up.”

Brian hesitated, panting slightly and staring up at Brock. The other chuckled softly at the sight, getting even more turned on.

The Irishman looked so vulnerable, on his knees with a heavy blush and some saliva dripping at the side of his mouth. His eyes were clouded over with lust, and he whimpered softly at his neglected erection, which pressed painfully tight against his jeans.

“Brian, get up.”

This time he obeyed, standing up and looking straight into the other's eyes. Brock wrapped his arms around his waist, his hand coming down to squeeze his ass. Brian held back a sound and instead grabbed Brock's face, smashing their lips together in an attempt to take the lead once again.

It resulted useless as Brock leaned in and bit down on his neck, sure to leave a heavy mark on his pale skin. Brian whimpered and panted, gripping the back of the former’s shirt as he kept up the kisses and bites on his neck.

“Brock. . Fuck, please. . “

“Please what?”

The Irishman nearly melted at the others voice, deep and husky with want.

“Goddamn it, if you don't fuck me right now I'm going to go to bed with a boner.”

Brock laughed and walked him backwards until Brian's knees hit a table. Pushing him back, he laid him down gently yet stopped as he hovered over him.

“Before I do. . tell me why you got all frisky all of a sudden. It's not like you to want to have sex in such a situation.”

Brian's face seemed to get even redder as he bit his lip and looked away. Brock raised a brow and waited patiently, leaning down to place soft kisses on the other's face.

“Are you jealous of Tyler?”

When the other tried to sit up, Brock gasped and pushed him back down.

“You ARE jealous aren’t you!”

“Brock!”

Brock couldn't help but start laughing, causing the other to look confused as well as hurt, thinking he was laughing at him.

“Brian, how could you? All he is to me is a good friend! I would never in my whole life replace you with someone else! I love you with my whole heart, and I would gladly die for you if it meant keeping you safe.”

“I know but you looked so happy with Tyler and I just. . I thought you might want to replace me with him and I-”

Brock silenced him with a deep kiss as Brian sighed softly into it and closed his eyes. He relaxed under Brock once he felt him pull away and leave a trail of kisses down his neck.

Soft fingers slowly unbuttoned his shirt as more kisses were pressed onto his chest. His lips were gentle and loving, each press of his lips against the other's skin leaving behind a hidden meaning.

Once he reached the other's stomach, he looked up at him and smiled, kissing it softly. This only caused Brian to start to chuckle a bit, squirming under him.

“Dude that tickles!”

He laughed softly and instead started to suck on the skin, leaving behind red marks. He kept his little bites going on until he reached the other's pants, looking up at him for consent.

Once Brian nodded his head, he slowly started pulling off his pants, making sure to take his time. Once the clothing was off, he made sure to kiss and bite his thighs and legs, marking him as his own. Brian shivered and spread his legs slightly, the tent in his boxers not making this any easier.

Once he reached to hem of Brian's boxers, Brock stopped and looked up at him with concerned eyes.

“I don't have any oil on me right now. . “

“I have some, in the back pocket of my pants.”

Brock raised an eyebrow at Brian questionably, a grin making its way onto his lips. Brian only rolled his eyes and told him to hurry up. Brock leaned down and grabbed a small bottle of baby oil from Brian's pants, popping the cap open and squirting some onto his fingers.

With his left hand, he pulled down his boxers all the way and leaned down, kissing the inside of the former's thighs to get him to open them more. Once that was done, he pressed a finger against his entrance and looked at the Irishman straight in the eyes.

“You ready?”

“Have been for a while now- oh fuck!”

Brian threw his head back and moaned softly as a finger slipped into him gently. He panted and bucked his hips, earning a kiss to his temple.

“Impatient much?”

“Mm, you would be too if you had a finger up your ass because your boyfriend won't hurry up to fuck you.”

Brock snorted and kissed him deeply, their lips dancing together gently. When he added a second finger and thrusted them a bit faster, Brian gasped and moaned louder into the kiss. His hands came up to grip Brock's shoulders as he bit the other's lower lip.

This continued for a while longer until Brock added the third finger, which he thrusted faster and harder than before. Brian panted and moaned, whining and bucking his hips. He tried to form words, but it resulted useless as those fingers started brushing against a certain spot inside him.

Once he saw Brian's reaction, he knew he had found the spot which made the other drool with delight. He kept thrusting and rubbing the spot, grinning at Brian who seemed to fall apart underneath him.

A few moments later, he pulled his fingers out and wiped them on the edge of his pants, which hung lowly around his thighs. Grabbing Brian's hip with one hand, he used the other to pour more oil onto his entrance as well as his hard member. He then closed it and pulled the Irishman closer, rubbing the head of his cock against the other's ass.

“Brian?”

“Yes. . ?”

“I love you.”

* * *

 ”They're taking awfully long don't you think, Tyler?”

“That's probably cause they're fucking.”

Ryan blinked and looked at him with a face, to which Tyler simply shrugged and laid down.

“What can I say? I've known them for a long time and I know that when they disappear for a long time it means they're fucking. Haven't you ever done it with Bry--”

“Okay well it's getting late we should probably go to sleep so we can head out tomorrow. Doesn't that sound great? Yeah so now let's sleep!”

“Wait, Ryan, Tyler was telling us som-”

“Okay well goodnight!”

Tyler and John stared at Ohm as he grabbed a flashlight and headed to the corner of the room, where he laid down on his sleeping bag and pulled a jacket over his head. John stared a bit longer, before shrugging and getting up, looking at Tyler.

“He's right, we should head to bed. Goodnight.”

“Night.”

He watched the blonde walk away before he looked at Ohm and sighed, shaking his head.

“Goddamn virgin.”

* * *

 Breakfast was quiet, except for the occasional joke traded here and there between some of the guys. Lui noticed that Marcel and David kept looking at each other, every glance making the Irishman hang his head a bit more. After it was obvious that they were hiding something, Lui sighed and cleared his throat to grab everyone's attention.

“Okay, so it's obvious you two are hiding something. Now spill it.”

Marcel looked at David, then looked away, keeping quiet. David bit his lower lip and looked visibly distraught, his hands clenching the fabric of his jeans tightly.

Everyone's eyes were on both of them as they simply tried to ignore the question, causing Lui to become more suspicious.

“What is it? Are either one of you sick? Did you get bitt--”

“Lui! Don't say that!”

“Arlan, we need to know if they are sick or not! What if one of them was actually bitten?”

David slammed his hands against the table and stood, everyone else going quiet.

He took a shaky breath in and exhaled slowly, looking up and staring at Lui.

“I'm sick.”

“What?”

“I. . I’m the one that's sick. Not with the flu or a bite. I. .”

“He has nightmares.”

Lui raised a brow at Marcel as he looked confused.

“Everyone has nightmares.”

“It’s not like that. I. .  I was traumatized. Before you guys came, in those three weeks when I was alone, there were these guys that came over almost everyday, demanding for things like food and weapons. When I refused to help, they barged in and hurt me. They hurt me in so many ways. . I can't even sleep at night anymore. . “

The room was tense and silent, before suddenly Lui spoke up. His voice was low and filled with venom as his hands turned into fists.

“What did he look like?”

“This isn't going to he-”

Arlan was cut short as Lui sent him a look that sent chills down his spine. He stared at him, before looking away, chewing on his bottom lip. The former turned to face the Irishman once again and repeated his question as everyone else started leaving the room.

Evan gave a final look at them, before placing his hand on Arlan’s shoulder and shaking his head. The Hispanic looked up at him with sad eyes and sighed, walking away with him and giving the other two a final glance.

David sat down and ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes tightly and trying to remember.

And he did.

The memories swarmed back so fast it startled him, causing him to freeze in his seat with wide eyes. Then the tears came.

Large tears formed in his eyes and travelled their way down his cheeks, taking Lui by surprise. His body started shaking as he shakily stood and staggered back, bumping against a wall behind him and sliding down slowly to the ground.

The shorter male rushed to his side and kneeled next to him, taking David's hands into his own and holding them gently.

Yet, David seemed to look right through him, eyes filled with pain and sorrow. Lui leaned in and kissed his forehead, whispering calming words to him in an attempt to sooth him. David closed his eyes and tilted his head back, his tears slipping past his cheeks and down his neck.

“Lui. . I remembered. . I remembered what they did to me. . Please, make them go away! Please!”

“David, I need you to tell me what you remember. If you tell me, I can help you keep those thoughts away forever, okay? But please, talk to me.”

“I want to tell you but I don’t want you to know. . it’s too much for me. .”

He opened his eyes and stared at him, and Lui saw the fear in them.

“Davey, close your eyes and try to remember. . Please? Even a tiny bit?”

He closed his eyes, but all he saw were the man’s deep green eyes, filled with malice and determination to break him.

To tear him down piece by piece until all the was left was a bruised body, his mind shattered into something that shouldn’t be considered humane anymore.

All he remembered were those vicious punches that rained on him, and seemed to never end.

He remembered.

David let out a sob and buried his face into Lui's shoulder, hugging him tightly and shaking violently. Lui hugged him back quickly and held him close, rocking the man back and forth in an attempt to calm him down.

Arlan suddenly came rushing and his eyes saddened at the sight, slowly walking over to him and kneeling. He placed a hand on David's back, but quickly retracted it once he felt the other flinch.

Sighing, he gently grabbed his face and slowly turned his head to face him, leaning in and resting his forehead against David's. Closing his eyes, he held back his own tears of anger as he ran a hand through the Irishman’s hair.

“David. . mi amor, we’re here for you. You don't have to be afraid anymore. We'll do whatever it takes to protect you from anyone trying to hurt you.”

“Do you trust us?” added Lui, sneaking an arm around Arlan's waist so that he would be in the hug as well. David looked at Arlan, then at Lui, slowly taking a deep breath in. He sat up a bit more and slowly, a small smile came up onto his lips as he hugged the two males closer.

“I do.”

* * *

 

”You miss him don't you?”

Steven’s head snapped towards Adam, who strolled besides him calmly.

“What?”

“Anthony. Do you miss him?”

He stopped and looked down, then shrugged and kept walking again.

“Maybe, I don’t know. I’m still mad at him.”

Adam tilted his head and looked ahead, making sure Max wasn’t leaving them behind. Steven scratched his head, before sighing.

“I was spending the weekend with him. Before I know it, he sent me away on a military truck. Instead of getting on with me, he gave his seat up and stayed behind. I tried getting off but the truck sped away before I could. But. . he’s still my best friend.”

The older man nodded, then ruffled Steven’s hair. The other stared at him in confusion, before the former gave him a small smile.

“Is something wrong Adam?”

“It’s just. . You’re lucky. You still have your best friend.”

“What about Max? Isn’t he like really close to you?”

Adam stared at Max’s back then sighed, shaking his head a bit. 

“He is but. . Max isn’t the same anymore. All he’s focused on right now is. .”

“Is to survive."

* * *

 

“Mike, what’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing!”

Bryce raised a brow at Mike as he looked away from both Mark and himself, his voice a bit hoarse. He gave Mark a look, then grabbed the shorter’s shoulder.

“Mike, look at me.”

He shook his head stubbornly. 

The blonde sighed and grabbed both of his shoulders, forcefully turning him around to face him. When he got a good look at him, his eyes widened.

Mike was sick.

He nose was bright red and his eyes looked clouded over. When he touched his forehead, the other subconsciously leaned in close to his cold hand, his whole body warm with a fever. 

This wasn’t good.

They had no medicine, hell, they didn’t even have painkillers. If it was a simple flu, they wouldn’t be so concerned. But he had a fever.

A very high one to make matters worse.

“How. . How did you get sick? Did you get scratched or bitten?”

“N-No, I just didn’t change clothes yesterday like you told us to. .”

“Why?” the blonde asked sternly, wiping away the sweat that started forming on the other’s forehead.

“I. . Don’t know. .” Mike’s voice trailed off as he suddenly went limp and started falling back. Mark’s eyes widened and he reacted quickly, rushing towards the man and catching him in time.

Bryce gasped and kneeled down next to them as the darker male held Mike closer, looking up at Bryce with a concerned expression. 

“Bryce, we need the medicine. We can’t leave the building with him like this. He won’t make it.”

“Crap. .”

Bryce stood up and started pacing, biting his nails. They needed to come up with some sort of plan to get Mike the medicine. If only there was a hospital or pharmacy nearby. The closest hospital was the next town over, at least a day or more away, walking.

He looked down at Mike and saw his eyes flutter open, then quickly close tightly as he groaned and curled up into himself.

“Mark. . my body hurts. .” 

“Shh, I know Mike, I know. Just hold on a bit longer okay?”

Mike answered with violent coughs as he shivered and pressed more into Mark’s chest. He sighed, then looked up at Bryce.

“Let’s go. The hospital is in the town over. If we leave right now, we can get there faster.”

“Bryce-"

Mark was cut off as Bryce grabbed his backpack and swung it on, kneeling down and taking Mike into his own arms. He lifted him up bridal style, then looked at Mark with a determined face.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

 It had been a good 6 hours since they had left the building walking, both men taking turns carrying Mike. They stopped a couple of times because of him having to vomit, the way he did concerning them

The puking then escalated to the point where he was simply dry heaving, his stomach completely empty. When it did come to that, they stopped to rest, trying to get Mike to eat something.

Well, more like force him. He refused to eat, his appetite completely gone due to the fever.

The fever, on the other hand, was a complete bitch. It lowered to the point where they thought it was gone, and before they knew it, it came back, sometimes worse than before.

It was a miracle how Mike still suggested he walk, his legs wobbly and weak with every step he took. Yet, he still did it, and kept up with their hurried pace.

He stopped walking, however, the second time he passed out. They became even more worried when he didn’t wake up, his breathing strained and his body shaking violently with shivers.

At this point that they decided to stopped, stuck between three options.

Either keep walking and keep carrying the unconscious man, or have one of them stay behind while the other went ahead to go bring back the medicine.

The third option was one they tried not to think about, but were forced to either way.

And that was to leave Mike behind.

Of course Mark refused to it immediately, but they still had to keep it in mind.

They could either take the risk to try and save him, or leave him behind and save themselves.

Knowing that Mark hated the third option, as well as knowing it would get tiring to keep carrying Mike around,  Bryce volunteered to go ahead and bring back the antibiotics.

As dangerous at it could be to travel alone, he would take the risk if it meant saving his friend's life.

Once it started to darken, they took shelter in an abandoned garage. Bryce helped Mark settle down with Mike, then took off running, hiding in the shadows.

He had to make it. He just had to.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asuh
> 
> there's really not much to say except grab some tissues and enjoy the show
> 
> also there's a 'The Walking Dead' and 'Hamilton: The Musical' reference hidden somewhere
> 
> if you get it,holy heck ily 
> 
> ok now let's get going

“May I hold her. . ?”

“Of course! Here, put your arms like this and. . “

Slowly, as to not wake the baby, Mary put the small bundle into Ryan’s arms. He looked down, looking over the small child’s features in wonder.

He was never one for children, and the only baby he ever held was his sister’s. So being able to hold another child in his arms, his best friend’s to be exact, made him feel warm. He smiled and held Layla closer, feeling her warmth radiating against his chest.

Ryan leaned down and kissed her head, leaving his lips pressed against her forehead as he smiled when feeling her snuggle closer to him. Mary chuckled softly and looked up at Ken when he stalked over and wrapped his arms around her waist.

He smiled at the sight, then looked over at the rest.

Felix seemed to be having the time of his life, laughing and chatting with Michelle and Kristen. Kristen sat on Michelle’s lap, playing with her wife’s hair as she listened to Felix tell them a story. She threw her head back and laughed, shoulders shaking with her giggles as the other two did the same.

It felt like home. Sure, some of them were miles away from their real homes, but what mattered the most was that they were reunited once again.

No more restless nights wondering whether their friends made it.

No more constant worrying that if they ever did find their friends, they would be gone.

No more.

They were like a puzzle put back together after being torn apart, the pieces fitting against each other perfectly. And then they were there, as if nothing had ever happened.

As if they didn’t see what they did on their journey.

They knew they’d never be the same after all they’ve seen. The sights, the smells, the noises. They were never the same after.

But being together made it somehow better, the thoughts pushed away as they were grateful for each other’s presence.

And that was good enough.

Ken sighed contently and rested his head on top of his wife’s, watching as Ryan gently handled their baby. Looking at him right now, it didn’t seem as if he had seen stuff that would traumatize him, but he had told him what happened.

What happened before he met with Felix.

At the thought of it, he felt a chill run up his spine. Slowly, he unwrapped his arms from around Mary’s waist and grabbed her hand, leading her a small ways from where they were. Once they stopped, she looked up at him and and put her hand on his cheek gently.

“What's wrong, honey?”

“It's just. . I'm worried about Ryan. .”

“Is it because of what he told us ?

When Ken nodded, Mary looked back at Ryan, then shook her head. She took ahold of her husband’s hand then gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“As long as he's with us, everything will be fine. He still needs some time to recover from all this, but he's doing much better already. Maybe all he needed was his family.”

“Look Mary. He is our friend and all, but I need you to know that he isn’t the Ryan we knew. If it comes to the point where we need to leave him behind, I need you to understand that I am doing this for you and Layla. You two are all I have left and I am not risking anything to get either of you two hurt or killed. Do you understand?”

Hesitantly, she glanced back at said male they were talking about and watched how carefully he handled her child. The sight broke her heart as she thought of the possibility of them leaving him behind, but she knew it had to happen.

So slowly, she looked up at her husband’s face and nodded, eyes steady as she looked into Ken’s. He smiled, then gently pecked her forehead before leaving her alone to her thoughts.

She was snapped out of them as she heard a twig snap, then looked up to see Felix staring at her with an unreadable emotion set on his features. He balled his fist up, before shaking his head.

“If we _are_ forced to leave him behind, don’t expect me to come along afterwards. It’s not his fault he was forced to kill for them, and you clearly know that.”

“Felix, I know. I know it’s not his fault, but in a world overrun by biters? You can’t trust anyone. Not even those you love. You just. . you just survive somehow.”

* * *

The building was quiet.  

Besides the occasional creak of the old structure and the wind blowing in through cracks in the windows, the morning was quiet. Blue eyes scanned the bearded man’s face as long fingers traced random patterns on their shirt.

Sighing, Jack nuzzled his face into Mark’s chest, feeling warm and safe as his arm wrapped around his waist securely. The were huddled up in the corner of the building, sleeping as close as they could for warmth.

Wanting to be together with Mark a little bit longer, Jack closed his eyes and attempted to go back to sleep, but alas was awoken by the other man.

Mark had started to kiss his face, purposely rubbing his beard on his face to tickle him. Once Jack started to chuckle, Mark crawled on top of him and started tickling his sides, causing the Irishman to laugh louder.

He continued his little assault on the other man before stopping, let him regain his breath. When Jack opened his eyes, Mark smiled down at him and leaned in to kiss him gently. Jack groaned and pushed on Mark’s chest, causing said man to chuckle and get off.

“You’re fucking heavy dude.”

“Oh, that’s because of all my muscle.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You doofus.”

Mark laughed again as he stood up, stretching his back and groaning softly. Jack did the same thing, then started picking up their things. He heard Mark gasp a bit, then turned around and saw him staring out the window with wide eyes.

“Mark? What's wrong?”

“It's uh. . It's nothing. Just get our stuff quickly and move out. It's not safe here.”

“What did you see? Mark? Mark! Hey, don't ignore me!”

But he did. Instead, he went over to Jack and walked past him, starting to pick their things up as quick as he could. He didn't even glance at Jack, even as he tried talking to him.

It wasn't until Jack grabbed Mark's hands that the man stopped. His hands were shaking slightly and his eyes looked distant. Jack gave him a worried look, then cupped the side of his face with his hand.

“Mark. . what did you see. . ?”

“. . The window. . Look at the building to the left, top floor. .”

He got up, then walked towards the window where Mark previously stood. Leaning against the pane, his eyes roamed the building to the left and let them travel up to the top floor.

There, hanging as if it were a painting on display, was a dark figure, a rope wrapped around their neck and their body swaying eerily at least 13 stories above the ground.

The Irishman’s eyes widened and he took a step back. A lump formed in his throat as he tried to steady his breath, which started to come out quickly.

He shut his eyes tightly and took slow breaths in to calm the anxiety building up in his chest. Jack felt a pair of strong arms pull him into Mark's chest, and only then did he seem to relax.

They stayed there for a few more minutes before Jack pulled away and looked right at Mark, unshed tears clouding over pretty blue eyes.

“Mark, promise me that you won't leave me like that. Please. . promise me.”

“I. . I promise. Even if a situation is worse than ever, I won't leave you like that.”

“Really?”

“I cross my heart and hope to die.”

* * *

”Max, slow down! We're tired and hungry, give us at least a few minutes to rest.”

“We have to keep moving. During winter, there's limited daylight. If we want to get to a safe place before nightfall, we have to keep moving.”

“But-”

Adam placed a hand on Steven's shoulder and shook his head. The other male gave him a small look, then rolled his shoulder away. Adam sighed, then whispered to him.

“I'll talk to Max about stopping for a bit.”

With that, he lightly jogged ahead of the Canadian and tugged on the other male's backpack straps. Although he didn't stop walking, Max did turn his head a bit and looked at the male besides him.

“What's up?”

“Max, Steven's right. We haven't stopped walking for a while now and we're getting tired fast. Although it's good to keep moving, it's better if we stop for even a few minutes and take a break.”

He stayed silent for a bit before letting out a deep breath through his nose. He looked around, then spotted a nearby tree that was big enough to provide some coverage from anything or anyone passing by. Motioning them over, he walked towards the tree then set his things down.

Adam turned and gave him a thumbs up, who in return had a big smile on his face. Chuckling, the older went over to the tree and plopped down, groaning in relief as he fixed his backpack and laid down, resting his head on it. Steven came over and soon did the same, both of them looking up at the grey sky.

“You two rest up. I'll take watch for a bit.”

“Take some food with you.”

“Already one step ahead of you, Steven.”

The Canadian man chuckled, then sighed and closed his eyes. A cold breeze blew through them, the chilly air nipping at their sweaty skin as they laid there and rested.

“He cares about you.”

“What?”

“Max. He cares about you, about all his friends. He just wants to see them happy, and he'll do whatever it takes to see them that way. That's why he wanted to keep moving. He wants to get you to New York.”

Steven immediately sat up and stared at Adam with wide eyes, while the other male kept looking up at the sky.

“He knows you care about Anthony a lot, and he just wants to see you reunited with a good friend like him, if it's the last thing he does.”

“I. . Adam you. .”

He laughed and sat up, then ruffled the younger man's hair playfully. Steven's lip quivered as he suddenly hugged Adam tightly, burrowing his face into the man's shoulder.

“Thank you. . Thank you so much. .”

“Hey, hey, it's okay. There's no need to cry. Ssh, you're okay. .” he comforted him, rubbing his back gently as Steven sobbed happily into his shoulder, hands gripping the back of Adam's sweater. He sighed, then rested his chin on the crying man's head, humming a small tune into the chilly air.

* * *

Luke watched as his best friend stared out the window of the truck, his chin in his hand and his eyes fixated in the passing view. His hair was hidden under a dirty old hat, and his long pale fingers tapped his knee slowly.

Jonathan yawned, then looked ahead of the truck. Scotty was driving the vehicle, one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the window, which was rolled down.

Anthony sat in the middle, messing with a radio they had found while clearing out a hardware store. He had been taking it apart and putting it back together as well as pushing buttons on it for a while now, focused on trying to get a signal on it.

The other Anthony, Chilled is what he asked to be called, was doing the same as Jonathan. He simply stared out the window and stayed quiet. Sometimes, he would help Anthony with the radio, but he stayed quiet most of the time.

He was snapped out of his thoughts as Scotty stopped the truck and put the handbrake in. Turning to look at the two males in the back seat, he sighed and placed his arm on the seat.

“We're almost out of gas. Should we keep going or see if there is any gas we can possibly get out of other cars?”

“I say let's go get some. If you keep driving on this road, you'll be heading out of the city, and I don't think we'll find any gas out there.”

“I'm with Luke on this one. It's definitely safer in the truck than walking.”

Scotty nodded and, once the other two agreed, parked the truck behind some buildings as to be out of sight. Anthony volunteered to stay behind, in case they needed to make a run for it, he'd be on the wheel already.

The four males exited the car and headed towards the road, spotting a couple of old vehicles abandoned on the street a few feet ahead. They split into two groups, Scotty with Chilled and Jonathan with Luke, then jogged towards different cars.

When the two North Carolinians reached the car, they rummaged through it, Luke checking the gas while Jonathan looked inside. He didn't find much, except a dark red hoodie resting on the dusty seat.

Taking it out, he shook it, sneezing as a bit of dust flew off of it. Taking a closer look, he saw it was more or less his size, but decided to hand it Luke instead.

“Luke, here. I found you a sweater.”

“Hm? Oh damn, that shit looks bomb as hell. Where'd you find it?”

“Inside the truck. By the way, any luck with the gas?”

“This one's empty. Come on, let's go to the other ones.”

The younger followed the male to the next vehicle, before he was stopped. Giving him a confused look, Jon raised a brow at Luke as he started to dig into a bag tied to the loop on his pants.

Luke pulled out a beaded pendant, with what seemed to be a bear claw hanging from the middle of it. A single turquoise gem stood out at the top of the claw as gold wire wrapped around it in a certain pattern. He smiled a bit, then grabbed the younger male's hand and placed the pendant into it, closing Jonathan's hand around it.

“I want you to keep this. I've had this since I was young, but I want you to have it now. You're the closest friend I've got, and I want you to always remember me no matter what. Alright?”

“Are you sure about it? You have had it for a long time now-”

“Jonathan, why don't you shut your mouth and just accept it you bitch?”

He simply snorted and brought the pendant up to his neck, snapping it behind his neck securely and letting it rest against his chest. Grinning, he pulled the other male into a hug, patting his back and pulling away.

“We're friends forever, right?”

“Till the end of times, Jonathan.”

His grin widened more and he punched his arm playfully. Luke glared at him, then pushed him back a bit as a grin made it's way to his own lips.

They kept playfully fighting between each other, not paying attention to the car they were approaching. Because of that, they didn't notice the polarized windows on the car.

Before he realized what he was doing, Jonathan was opening the car door. Maybe it was his fault for not paying attention, maybe it was his fault for not acting more serious in such a situation, he doesn't know.

Everything happened too fast, and all he knew was that his best friend was lying on the ground with a biter a top him, its gnarled teeth digging into his forearm and blood gushing out like a busted water pipe.

As quickly as his shocked body would let him, he kicked the biter off of Luke and started stomping in its head with no remorse. Blood started splattering everywhere as a crack was heard, but even that wouldn't stop him from beating the already dead creature into pulp.

A scream ripped out of his throat as he kicked and kicked and kicked. His sneakers and pants were completely soaked with the biter’s blood, and it wasn't until Scotty pulled away that he stopped.

Tears spilled like waterfalls from his eyes as he dropped to his knees next to Luke and attempted to stop the bleeding from the bite mark on his arm. Luke simply gasped and coughed up blood, panting heavily as his eyes were wide with horror.

“My arm. . my arm. . !! I. . I. .”

“Fuck fuck fuck! Jonathan, help me carry him back to the truck! Chilled, run on ahead and have Anthony startup the car now!”

Jonathan wasted no time on picking Luke up and trying to calm him down, starting to speed walk as Scotty supported Luke's body on the other side. His world crumbled down around him as his heart pounded against his chest harshly, almost jumping out.

He couldn't lose his best friend, his _brother._

And he would do whatever it takes to keep him alive.

* * *

”Arlan?”

The short Hispanic man hummed in response and kept staring out the window, eyes blinking lazily as his arms rested on his crossed legs. David's shirt hung off his shoulder, which was littered with bites and hickeys, while his hair stood up everywhere.

Lui walked over to him and sat down besides him on the messy bed. He wrapped his arm around his waist and pulled him close, pressing a soft kiss onto his shoulder. Arlan smiled, then moved to sit on his lap.

“What's wrong baby? Were we too hard on you?”

“A bit. David was a bit impatient. .”

“It's okay baby. You're safe with us.” Lui mumbled into his neck as he tiredly rested his face there. Arlan simply ran a hand through the others long hair and hummed tiredly, yawning during the process.

“Let's clean the bed before they get back. Craig will be pissed if he finds out we just fucked on the bed he's sleeping in.”

The other man chuckled and nodded, letting the former get up from his lap and start to gather up the soiled sheets. Just as Arlan put them in the corner, he stopped before turning to look at Lui.

“He doesn't know, does he?”

“About you? No, at least, I don't think anyone has told him.”

“Good.”

Lui shook his head and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Arlan, you _have_ to tell him. You can't keep it a secret forever!”

“Lui, you don't understand! It's not that I don't want to, I just can't! I was planning on telling him when we got here but. . he was just so happy to see us. . I'm sorry, I need some time. .”

The older man walked over to him and reached out to place a hand on the other’s shoulder for reassurance, but Arlan simply moved away and looked down. Lui gave him one last concerned look and walked out, leaving Arlan to battle his own apocalypse in his mind.

* * *

He knew the moment he slipped from the shadows of the night the risk he would endure, either human or biter. But really, there was one enemy he couldn't get rid of.

And that was time itself.

The clock was ticking, and the more time Bryce wasted not moving, the more sand filled the button of Mike's hourglass. With the fever he had, along with his inability to even walk, it was only a matter of time before it got to something much deadlier.

“Okay, the hospital is at the edge of the next town. It shouldn't take more than half a day to get there, I already walked for at least a day. Come on Bryce, just a few more miles.” He mumbled to himself, forcing his sore legs to continue running across the roofs of the buildings.

As he neared the edge of the building he was on, he saw it was there was a huge gap in between. He could either take the risk of jumping it, and maybe fall to his death, or find another way around. However, that would mean he'd have to travel through ground, which was off limits due to the biters already running around.

Taking a deep breath, he jogged back a bit and turned to look at the ledge, nails digging into his palms. Slowly exhaling, he relaxed and cleared his head of any possible distraction. Once he was ready, he pushed himself off his toes and sprinted forward, watching as the building got closer and closer.

As soon as his foot touched the ledge, he placed his weight on it and used it to jump over. Time seemed to stop as he flew through the air, the sounds of the biters ceasing for just a moment. As quickly as he could, he brought his legs forward and landed on the other side, his weight bringing him forward and causing him to fall.

He grunted as his body hit the floor, then panted as the adrenaline ran through his body. Slowly sitting up, the strawberry blond rubbed his shoulder as a bit of pain rolled through it.

But he shook it off and got onto his feet once more, repeating the process of moving over buildings and scanning the horizon for the view of the hospital. In the very far distance, he saw a large, quiet looking building, the sun rising behind it.

“Bingo.”

* * *

”You two have fun last night?”

“Shut it, Tyler.”

The taller snorted and rolled his eyes. They had awoken to a rather chilly morning, the groans of the biters gone by now as they gathered their stuff and made their way out of the building.

Of course, Brian had a limp to his walk, the scarf that Brock had originally been wearing wrapped around his neck and his eyes looking tired. Brock, on the other hand, looked rather chirpy, a huge smile on his face and his features looking more alive that they originally had.

John yawned as they walked through the empty city, a shiny object hidden under a car catching his eye. He squinted, then jogged ahead, dropping to his knees and looking under it.

It was a skateboard, looking a bit dusty but still sturdy and new. He grabbed it and pulled it out, standing up and inspecting it front and back. It was simple, some sort of writing carved into the back of it.

Deciding to rather not read it, John put the skateboard down and stepped onto it, kicking himself off with his other foot and letting it slide forward a bit. He smiled, then continued that process, the wind hitting his skin gently and making his nose and cheeks cold.

Ryan watched as the younger skated ahead, chuckling a bit when he started making simple tricks.

‘At least someone's having fun.’ He thought as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. He breathed out softly and brought his grey hoodie closer to his body, the thin clothing doing nothing to protect him from the chilly air.

For a second, he thought about maybe pulling out a blanket and wrapping it around himself, but then shook his head at it. If they had to make a run for it, the blanket would only get in the way of letting him move. Instead, he decided to have a look around at the buildings, trying to locate a clothing store.

At the corner of his eye, he caught sight of an abandoned ‘Burlington', the sign above dusty and ready to fall off at any given second. He stopped and stared at it, before looking ahead at the rest of his group.

“Hey guys! I’m going to check in there for a coat or something. I'm freezing.”

“Oh, I'll go along with you. Tyler, Brian, keep an eye out for John. Don't let him get too ahead of us, alright?”

With that, Brock and Ryan walked towards the abandoned building silently. The taller kicked a rock on the ground, then cleared his throat to grab Ryan's attention.

“Hey so, when we first found you guys, Tyler spoke about some bombings. Do you have any idea what he meant about them?”

Ryan stopped, then looked up at Brock as the other man raised a brow at him in confusion. His own hazel eyes were wide as his mouth suddenly went dry.

**_.~Please listen to For The Damaged Coda by Blonde Redhead while reading~._ **

“You. . you don’t know about the bombings. . ? That means. . we need to get out of here, now.”

“Wait what? Ryan, what are you talking about? What bombings?”

The shorter took a deep breath in and closed his eyes, trying to calm his beating heart that seemed to want to jump out of his chest. He shook his head, then motioned Brock to follow him inside.

“Back in Chicago, before the power went out, the government informed everyone that they would do something to try and control the number of biters around the area. They told us to stay inside for safety measures but really. . they just wanted to kill us all. .”

“They started dropping bombs out of nowhere and it was just absolute hell unleashed. Brock, the entire midcoast was bombed! Right behind everyone's back!”

Brock stared at Ryan with wide eyes, trying to process the information. The shorter grabbed his arms and looked up at him, hazel eyes serious.

“By now, I'm pretty sure the East Coast got bombed as well. It's only a matter of time before they go for the West. We need to get out of here as soon as we can.”

It took a few moments for Brock to process everything, but he nodded his head nonetheless. Suddenly, he gasped and pushed Ryan out of the way, just as a bullet flew by and lodged itself deep into his forehead.

Blood sprayed all over Ryan's face as Brock’s body fell back and landed on the dirty ground with a ‘thud'. His eyes went wide and a scream was ripped out of his throat, the sound of footsteps running away. He staggered back and started breathing heavy, and suddenly tripped back onto the floor.

Soon, Brian, Tyler and John ran in, their voices sounding far away as his beating heart drowned out all other noise. The only thing he heard was Brian's pain filled scream filling the air, his pale hands shaking violently and he cradled Brock's lifeless body and sobbed loudly into his chest.

Someone's hands were pulling Ryan up and yelling something to him, but all he could do was stare at his friend's dead body, blood trickling down his forehead and eyes still open. John attempted to pull Brian up, but the Irish wouldn't budge. Tyler told the blond something, before going over to Brian and nearly wrestling him to get him off Brock's body.

John ran to Ryan and grabbed his arm, pulling him out of the building and into the sunlight. A few moments later, Tyler came out struggling with a screaming Irishman, whose tears wouldn't stop. Ryan blinked slowly as he felt something wet on his cheeks, the salty water slipping past his chin and down his neck. He tried wiping them away, but they simply wouldn't stop.

Just like how he couldn't stop Brock from dying.

Before he knew it, he was pushed back by Brian who's eyes were filled with murderous rage. The taller grabbed the front of his hoodie and pulled him forward, ignoring Tyler's voice which tried to stop them.

“You. . !! It's all your fault!! Because of you, the person I loved most in the world is dead!! Because of you, you fucking bitch!!”

“Brian I. . I'm sorry. . I'm sorry. . he pushed me out of the way and I-”

“Shut up! I don't want to hear your pathetic excuse!” he growled as he pushed the shorter back harshly. He wiped his dripping nose and turned away, shoulders shaking with unheard sobs. Ryan bit his lower lip, turning on his heel and running from them.

He ran and ran and ran, not looking back once. Not even as Tyler screamed his name, not even when he entered the forest. He just continued to run until his legs gave out under him and a lump in his throat prevented him from breathing. Ryan started breathing quickly with panic, vision going blurry as more tears gathered in his eyes. He let out a broken sob and fell to his side, curling into a helpless little ball as he slowly and painfully crying himself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops
> 
> my hand slipped ;^))))


	8. Chapter 8

After the sun had risen and he was sure the streets were clear of anymore biters, Bryce climbed down and walked the short way to the hospital. His legs were sore and wobbly, but his hopes were high. He had finally reached the hospital.

 

Scanning the nearby area for anyone, or more like any _thing_ , he found an old rusty crowbar on the ground. He picked it up and gripped it in his hand, the rusty material rubbing against his already calloused palm. The strawberry blond took a deep breathe in and walked in, his nose scrunching up due to the smell. Walking further in, he scanned the place, light filtering in through the cracks in the windows and the roof.

 

Multiple chairs were toppled over and puddles were forming on the ground where water leaked from the ceiling. Vines grew into the buildings from the broken windows and decorated the walls in fancy green swirls. The faint smell of medicine and cleaning supplies still lingered in the air, fain yet still present. Bryce sighed and continued walking through the empty halls of the once busy hospital.

 

He reached a door that read ‘Pick Up’, and decided to check there first. He grabbed the doorknob and turned it slowly, the door swinging open with a loud, eerie creak. He cringed at the sound, then stepped inside, blue eyes roaming the room.

 

“Alright, I’ll just get anything that might look helpful and get the hell out of here.”

 

He went through a mental note of any flu medicine he could remember, looking through the dusty shelves and plucking them off, dropping each into his backpack which he now carried in his hand. Just as he thought he had everything, he heard a deep rumbling noise, which he simply shook off, thinking it was just the old building.

 

Then he heard it. The explosion.

 

The rumbling sound came closer, accompanied with a loud booming noise. The building started to shake, debris falling onto him as he cussed under his breath and closed his backpack. Swinging it over his shoulders, he started running out of the place, large chunks of the ceiling just barely missing the tall male.

 

He ran out of the crumbling building and caught a glimpse of a military bomber, flying towards the building at an alarming speed. He thought of maybe running the opposite way the jet was coming from, towards the buildings it already destroyed,  but he knew that the blast would still reach him. And besides that, the remains of the buildings were blocking the way, so there was no chance he would be jumping over those quick enough.

 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!!”

 

He swore loudly, backing away slowly and making a dash for it, although he knew he wouldn’t make it. Suddenly, above the sound of the buildings crumbling and the jet’s engines, he heard the loud sound of a motorcycle engine. Turning, he saw a person wearing black clothing driving towards at full speed.

 

Bryce froze in place and just watched the person come closer and closer, digging his nails into his palms and his breath leaving his body. Suddenly, the person squealed to a stop besides him, a helmeted face turning and looking at him.

 

“Get on.”

 

The blonde man stared at him with confusion, hearing a strange accent he couldn’t quite place a finger on in the man’s voice. The man quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the motorcycle, revving it up as Bryce struggled to get situated onto the black Harley-Davidson. Just as he barely got seated correctly, he sped off the opposite way of the jet, towards the burning city. Bryce let out a small scream as he quickly wrapped his arms around the man’s surprisingly thin waist.

 

“Where are you going?! We won’t make it over the rubble!”

 

“That’s not where I’m headed!”

 

With that, the male leaned forward and sped the motorcycle towards the dense forest, trying to avoid hitting rocks and tree branches. However, the front wheel of the vehicle hit a rock, tipping over and sending both men flying. Both males screamed as they were thrown over the air, rolling across the rocky ground. Bryce groaned as his back slammed against a tree, not enough to break  but enough to hurt like a bitch. The other man skidded across the ground before his head hit a rock, creating a small shatter on his helmet.

 

Bryce panted, then curled up despite the pain and covered his ears as a loud booming noise rang throughout the forest and inside his head, causing him to moan in pain and bite his lower lip tightly. After the ringing and shaking had stopped, he slowly removed his hand, looking over at his savior. The man laid on the ground limply, blood trickling out of the cuts he had received. Slowly, Bryce forced himself to sit up, eyes shut tightly from the pain. Once it subsided just a bit, he used the tree for support as he stood, sucking in air as the pain ran through his body.

 

Limping towards the man, he kneeled next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and rolling him onto his back. He gently removed his helmet, placing a hand under the other’s head so it wouldn’t fall back onto the ground. As he placed the helmet to the side, he took a look at the man’s features, watching him intensely to see if he still breathed.

 

The male on the ground had scary pale skin, short black hair sticking up everywhere messily. He groaned and slowly his eyes fluttered open, a pretty reddish-brown colour,  blinking slowly as they adjusted to the light. He made a small noise similar to that of a whimper and and started coughing, pushing Bryce away as he got onto his knees and coughed violently.

 

“Hey, are you okay? Breathe, just take a deep breathe in and out. . yeah that’s it, just keep doing that.”

 

“Ugh. . thank you. .”

 

“No, thank you dude. You saved my life back there. By the way, I’m Bryce.”

 

“Vlad.”

 

Bryce smiled as he rubbed Vlad’s back, the other man still continuing to cough. He eventually ended up heaving anything he had left in his stomach, which wasn’t much seeing that he was so skinny. After that, Vlad panted and wiped his lips, then looked at Bryce and raised a brow.

 

“Didn’t you have a backpack?”

 

“Backpack? I. . The backpack!!”

 

In an incredible show of speed, Bryce jumped up and wiped his head around, wide blue eyes searching for the lost bag. He ran, well more like limped, towards the direction they came from, finding the backpack lying on the ground, partially covered by a large green bush. He breathed a sigh of relief, picking it up and hugging it close as he walked back to the man with the strange accent.

 

When Vlad saw him walking back with the backpack, the man flashed him a smile as he shakily stood up, slightly wincing as he put pressure on his left foot. Bryce gave him a concerned look, but Vlad just smiled and waved him off.

 

“It’s just a sprain, nothing is broken. Still hurts like hell though. It’s a miracle we survived that without breaking anything.”

 

“I don’t know either, though next time, try and slow down when we’re driving through a forest.”

 

Vlad started to laugh, the giggles bubbling up from inside his chest and flowing through the air. Bryce joined him, then slipped the bag onto his back.

 

“By the way, are you headed anywhere specifically?”

 

“Not really. I just travelled around the cities trying to find at least some type of human sign. Everything I’ve seen so far is. . it’s bad. So, after all that trouble I caused you, would you mind if I just tagged along?”

 

“Not at all. But I have to tell you, we need to hurry. My friend got sick and he needs these medicines as fast as possible, so we need to get moving.”

 

Vlad nodded, then looked around the forest, eyebrows scrunching up. He stayed quiet for a moment, before looking at Bryce.

 

“Do you know your way through the forest?”

 

“Not really. . But I’m pretty sure if we go to the right, we’ll find our way out.”

 

The shorter nodded and both simply started walking towards the direction Bryce was saying. They continued walking through the forest for some miles before Vlad stopped and leaned against a tree, saying something about needing to catch his breath. Bryce agreed, then after watching him lift his left foot slightly, kneeled down and grabbed his leg gently. The pale man said nothing as Bryce pulled off his shoe and sock, lifting up his pants leg slightly as well.

 

On his ankle was a slight bump, purple and blue with a bruise. Bryce pressed his finger against it slightly, feeling for a dislocated bone, but only received a wince and hiss of pain. The blonde man sighed in relief and took off his backpack, digging inside for something to wrap the other’s foot in. Not being able to find bandages, he took out an extra shirt he had and ripped it, starting to wrap the shreds around his ankle the best he could.

 

“You didn’t have to do that you know. .”

 

“Hey, anything is better than having you limp around everywhere.”

 

He smiled and nodded, before taking the ibuprofen pill Bryce offered him. Vlad popped it in and swallowed it down with saliva, closing his eyes and leaning his head back afterwards. It wasn’t long before they continued their journey, Bryce always slightly ahead as he wanted to hurry before it was too late.

 

They continued walking through the forest for hours, hidden in the shadows of the brush from anything that could possibly harm them. Just as they were nearing noon, they found themselves stepping out of the woods and in front of a blank looking building, still intact as was everything else around it. In the distance, they could see black smoke rising into the air, and after a few minutes of waiting, concluded that the jet had not been around this area.

 

They went ahead and searched for anything to eat, finding just a couple of dusty aluminum cans under a shelf. Bryce went ahead and opened one of them, finding some beans inside. He smiled at their little treasure, then went ahead and offered it to Vlad. After a bit of arguing, Vlad went ahead and barely ate half of them , leaving the rest for Bryce.

 

After the blonde had ate his fill, and Vlad was well rested, they made their way through the forest once again, drinking from a water bottle they found in the building. A little into walking in the forest, Bryce spotted a figure curled up by a tree, quivering and mumbling something softly. He eyed the person, then gave Vlad a look, to which he simply shrugged in confusion.

 

Turning back to the person, Bryce took his knife out and gripped it in his hand, slowly walking towards them. He was careful of where he stepped, as to not alert the person, and raised his knife slightly just as he reached them. However, upon closer inspection, his eyes widened and he lowered his knife, dropping it in the ground as he fell to his knees.

 

The person didn't seem to hear them as they were fast asleep, their breathing picking up and his eyebrows scrunching up. Gently, as if he were picking up a baby, Bryce cradled the person in his arms, holding them close as he nearly started crying then and there.

 

“Ryan. . Ryan oh my god. .”

 

Ryan, feeling something start to move him, slowly opened his hazel eyes, those eyes that Bryce absolutely adored. He blinked a couple a times as he stared up at Bryce, and suddenly his face scrunched up slightly as tears made their way to his eyes.

 

“I swear to god, if this is just a dream. .”

 

“It's not. I’m here Ryan, it's me. It's me.”

 

The other man whimpered as he sat up and hugged Bryce tightly, sobbing into his shoulder as he practically clinged to him, wrapping his legs around his waist. Bryce’s lower lip started to quiver as he buried his face into Ryan's neck, letting his tears spill out.  

 

“Bryce. . Bryce I. . I'm so fucking sorry. . I'm sorry.   I-I didn't mean for it to happen. . I d-didn't. .”

 

“What happened?”

 

“I. . I got someone killed. . it's all my fault a-and. .”

 

Ryan let out a wail, hugging the other closer as he shook and cried into his shoulder. Bryce rubbed his back and rocked him back and forth, whispering gentle things to him. Vlad stood off to the side awkwardly, deciding to sit by a nearby tree and relax his foot.

 

After Ryan calmed a little, Bryce grabbed his chin gently and made the other look at him, his heart clenching at the sight. Ryan with tears running down his face like waterfalls and his nose and cheeks red from rubbing his face. The blonde wiped his tears with his thumbs, gently cupping his face with his hands.

 

Ryan leaned into the touch, and Bryce couldn't take it any longer. He pulled the man close and kissed him with such force it knocked the air out of both of them.

 

The kiss held so much meaning, so much love and lust, and just so many feelings in general. As Bryce pulled away, he held the man close, caressing his cheek with his thumb.

 

“I love you so so much, Ryan. So fucking much. I am completely head over heels for you. Everything about you is perfect and when I look at you, I wonder how I got to be so goddamn lucky. I love you so much I. . I can't even put it into words.”

 

“Then kiss me again.”

 

Bryce smiled and kissed him once again, this time softer, more gentle and loving. Ryan ran his hands through the blonde’s hair, breathing through his nose as he felt his heart pick up. He felt so close to Bryce, so loved, so cared for, so. .

 

Alive.

 

He felt as if they were unstoppable, as if they could conquer the world if they wanted to. But unfortunately, life had other plans for them. Because real life isn't like a fairy tale.

 

Real life is a nightmare.

* * *

 

“Get him on the table! Hurry up before he turns!”

 

Scotty got to the table and pushed off everything on it, making room for Luke as Jonathan and Anthony carried him into the room and laid him on top. Luke cried out in pain as he gasped and groaned, hand reaching out for anything to grab onto.

 

Jonathan wasted no time on pulling his belt off, struggling a bit due to his vision being blurry with tears. He sniffed and slipped it off quickly, giving himself a skin burn on his stomach as the leather rubbed against him roughly. Scotty grabbed onto Luke’s bit arm and stretched it out to the side, letting the Jon wrap the belt tightly a few inches above the bite.

 

“Jon, he won’t make it! He’s already infected, there’s no way he won’t turn!”

 

“We have to try! This is the only way to save him! Anthony, push him down, make sure he won’t get up. Scotty, you grab onto his arm and whatever happens, don’t let go!”

 

As he turned to grab the machete from his backpack, Chilled stood there with the weapon in his hand and a rag in his other. The machete smelled of alcohol, and it shined a bit from the little light that filtered through the cracks in the ceiling. Jon looked at Chilled and smiled, to which the other returned.

 

“Thank you.”

 

Taking the blade into his own hand, he gave Luke one more pitiful look before raising the large knife high and bringing it down, slicing into tan skin. Luke screamed in pain and started to struggle, tears of anguish streaming down the sides of his face. Blood splattered onto the 4 males by the table, causing Scott to gag just a bit.

 

Jonathan pulled the bloody knife out and brought it down once more onto his arm, more blood dripping onto the floor and covering them. He repeated the process until the mutilated limb fell onto the floor, Luke by this point passed out on the table. Anthony slowly moved off, taking a few steps back before looking up at Jonathan.

 

“Do. . Do you think it worked. . ?”

 

“We’ll just have to wait and see. . “

 

Scotty backed away before running outside, the sounds of him heaving floating into the building. Jonathan had taken some bandages from his backpack and started wrapping them around his friend’s arm tightly, making sure Luke was still breathing. Once he was done, he turned around and closed his eyes, trying to control his quivering breath.

 

Jon opened his eyes once again when feeling someone push something into his hands, looking down at a rag as he gave Chilled a smile, weaker than the last. The Italian man patted his shoulder, then pointed to the far corner of the room.

 

“There's mirror over there with a sink. I won't guarantee that there's water running, but at least you can see where to wipe off.”

 

Jon could only nod as he slowly walked over to the mirror, covered by a thick layer of dust. He wiped a spot with his pale hand and looked at himself, nearly collapsing at the sight.

 

Ocean blue eyes were dull, and deep red blood was splattered over pale skin. His black hair was poking out from underneath his beanie, and as soon as he removed it, hair stood up messily. He sighed as he brought the rag up to his face, long fingers slowly wiping away at it.

 

The North Carolinian leaned against the sink, closing his eyes and listening to the now silent world around them. He turned his head to look to the side, eyes looking up and down the unmoving body of his best friend. They had gotten rid of the problem, sure, but there was no guarantee he would make it.

 

All they had to do now was wait.

* * *

 

“Felix? You alright?”

 

The Swedish man sat on the floor, arms resting on his bent knees and his eyes staring straight ahead. Ryan tilted his head, longish brown hair falling to the side as blue eyes blinked curiously.

 

“Felix?”

 

The blonde man’s head snapped up and he looked up at Ryan, eyes blinking quickly.

 

“Uh what? Sorry, I um. . I zoned out.”

 

“I can see that. What's on your mind?”

 

Felix just stared and said nothing, simply motioning Ryan close. The other slowly sat besides him, and immediately he was pulled into the Swedish man’s lap. Ryan smiled and placed his head a top the others, running his calloused fingers through tangled blonde locks as he got a bit more comfortable and straddled his lap.

 

Felix buried his face into the other man’s chest and breathed his scent in, arms wrapped around his waist tightly. He placed his forehead on his chest and closed his eyes, taking in the other's presence.

 

Ryan heard someone coming up behind them and quickly turned around, staring at Mary as she stood there holding a sleeping Layla in her arms. He smiled at her, but it disappeared when Mary’s gaze fell to the ground and simply walk past them without a word. Felix watched her without a word, blue eyes sharp and icey.

 

Once she had walked away, Felix reached up and cupped Ryan’s face in his hands, causing the other to turn and face him. He gently caressed the other man’s cheek, smiling softly and letting his fingers run across Ryan’s face, embedding his every feature into his head.

 

From his sharp jaw, to his gentle eyes, to his nose, which he pressed a kiss against. He ran a slightly rough thumb over his bottom lip, thumb trailing to his chin as he pulled the other in for a soft kiss. He felt Ryan melt against him as long fingers squeezed his thighs, causing Felix to groan quietly. His hands slowly started wandering up Ryan’s back, pulling his shirt up in the process and exposing soft skin.

 

They both suddenly pulled away as an ear splitting screech pierced the air.

 

_Mary._

 

Ryan looked at Felix confused, before he pushed himself off and up, pulling the other up quickly. They both ran towards the source of the scream, stopping dead in their tracks when they heard a gun click behind them.

 

The Swedish man’s eyes widened as the tip of a gun was pressed against the side of his head, hands shaking as he turned his head just enough so he could eye the person. A tall, brawny looking guy stood besides him with a shit eating grin, teeth crooked and yellow from smoking, while another less buff guy had a knife at Ryan’s throat, arm wrapped tightly around him so he wouldn’t snatch the blade from him.

 

“Well, well, well. Look who it is. Our little Ryan~.”

 

“What the hell do you want from us?” Felix asked cautiously, catching the guys attention.

 

“You know exactly what we want, kid. We want what you stole from us.”

 

“Look, please let’s try to work this out somehow. We have a baby with us, we _need_ those supplies.”

 

“Oh, don’t worry about the kid. Well take care of her so you’ll have one less mouth to feed~.”

 

Ryan’s eyes widened and he was about to protest, if it wasn’t for the sharp knife that pressed against his throat the moment he moved. He cussed under his breath and was practically dragged to the middle of a large clearing, where the rest of their group was already there.

 

Kristen had blood running down her face from a gash on her forehead, while Michelle had blood dripping onto the dirt below her from her nose. Ken looked pretty bruised up himself as he laid on his stomach, hands tied behind his back like both females.

 

The bearded man weakly looked up at the other two and lifted his head slightly, right eye droopy and swollen.

 

“Please. . help them. . don't let them hurt them. .”

 

Right as Felix opened his mouth, a woman's struggling voice caught his attention as a man pushed Mary to the front, the female screaming and trying to resist him. The man who brought her in clenched his teeth and pushed her down, making Mary yelp as her knees hit the ground hard.

 

“You assholes! Give her back to me!! Please!”

 

“Now now, that's not a nice way to ask for something.”

 

“Fuck off, man. Just give her back the girl and we'll leave you guys alone.”

 

The man gave Felix a dark look, then pushed him back onto the ground, knocking the air out of the Swedish man. Felix groaned loudly as heeled boot stomped down onto his chest, pale hands latching onto the man's foot and trying to lift it up.

 

He stopped struggling when a shot was fired near his head, the loud sound ringing in his head. When he finally got a grip of himself, the desperate voices of his friends gave him just a little hope.

 

However, that little hope quickly disappeared as soon as another male walked into view, holding the baby in his arms in a not so careful way. Mary was just about to get up when suddenly, the man who had brought her back grabbed a handful of her brown locks and tugged her back harshly.

 

“You stay put, bitch.”

 

“Let her go!”

 

Ken practically growled as he saw both his child and wife being mistreated. He attempted to sit up, but he was pushed back onto the ground as a foot practically slammed his head onto the dirt. Mary’s eyes widened as she saw her husband being mistreated, and tried struggling but was pulled back once again.

 

“You stay down, beast.”

 

“What the- hey!”

 

One of the men fell back with a groan as Kristen laid on her back, foot up as she had seemingly kicked the guy on his groin. The man that had a hold of Mary pointed a gun at the other female and shot, to which Kristen just barely avoided. Michelle took this as an opportunity to headbutt a guy in the stomach, kicking the gun out of reach as it fell out of his hand.

 

Felix eyed the man behind him, before looking at Ryan. The other nodded, and suddenly Ryan lunged forward and bit the man holding him hostage on his arm. The man dropped the knife and screamed in pain as the other only dug his teeth in more. He tasted the familiar metallic taste of blood fill his mouth as he ripped off a piece of skin off his captors arm.

 

“You fucking bitch! I’m going to ki-”

 

He was cut off as a bullet was put straight through his chest, blood staining his shirt and dripping onto the floor. His corpse fell, and Ryan looked up to see the Swedish man with a gun in his hand, smoke coming out of the tip. Felix threw a hunting knife at Ryan, then grinned.

 

“Felix, are you okay? Are you hu-”

 

“Ryan, don’t worry about it.”

 

Ryan huffed a laugh as he took out the knife from the sheath and moved to the side, just as a stray bullet flew by him. He ran over to Michelle and quickly untied her hands, helping her up as Felix shot as many people as he could.

 

Kristen was barely holding up herself, dodging the man attacking her. She ducked and slid away, dropping down and kicking the man’s feet. She hissed, however, as the man was able to land a kick to her chest, sending her flying back a bit at the force. Groaning, she rolled to her side and attempted to sit up, only to have him kick her stomach with his boot.

 

A small scream emitted from her lips as the pain ran up her body, alongside another kick. They kept raining down on her, and just as she braced herself for the next kick, she heard the sound of him being tackled to the ground, then the sound of him choking. Sitting up weakly, she saw the man choking on his own blood, a deep slice going across his neck. Ryan looked at her, and for a split second, she was stunned.

 

His longish brown hair was standing up everywhere, and blood covered his brown skin around his face. Blue eyes were dilated, but as soon as he saw her, they went calm. He wiped his face off, before hurrying over to her side. He cut off the rope on her hands, before looking at her worriedly as she started to groan. Ryan was about to ask her what was wrong, before he saw it.

 

Blood.

 

The blood wasn’t coming from any open wounds, but rather from between her legs. His eyes went wide as he looked at her sadly, before she managed to give him a shaky grin.

 

“Go and fight, mister knight in shining armour. I’ll figure something out, but right now, you have to go and save them. . please. .”

 

Ryan’s lower lip trembled just slightly as he leaned in and placed a chaste kiss to his best friend’s forehead. She chuckled softly, before Michelle ran over with a terrified look in her eyes. He turned around and walked away, the guilt heavy in his chest as he heard Kristen let out a small sob.

 

His gaze was set on a man in front of him, the blue in his eyes changing from a comforting blue to an icy one. He ran forward and raised his knife, stabbing it into the man. A fight sprung up between Ken’s group and the other one, with Ken finally up and running after Felix helped him up. Ryan’s head whipped from side to side, spotting the leader dragging a struggling Mary away with another man running with Layla. He spotted a gun lying around and quickly grabbed it, cocking it and aiming at the man running away.

 

“Alright Ryan. . steady now. .”

 

He took a deep breath in and held it, and as his hand steadied out, he shot. The sound rang through his head as he watched the bullet hit the man’s ankle, causing him to scream in agony and fall to the ground. Just as Ryan was about to run towards him, Felix grabbed his shoulder and looked at him seriously.

 

“Go and get Mary. We have it from here.”

 

“But-”

 

“Just go!”

 

The American nodded and ran after the leader, hand gripping the deadly weapon in his hand as he avoided random branches and rocks. He soon saw Mary laying on the ground, unconscious, and immediately ran towards her. He sat her up while untying her and cradled the woman in his arms.

 

“Mary? Mary are you okay? Ma-”

 

He was cut short as he felt a sharp tip press against the back of his head, causing him to freeze up. The leader had a wide grin on his face, eyes blown wide with triumph.

 

“What's the matter, Ryan? Cat got your tongue?”

 

“Daniel, please. . spare her. If you want your revenge, take it out on me, not her.”

 

“Why should I? Just because you're telling me not to? Oh please, why would I believe in a liar like you? We let you and your boyfriend in. We gave you food, weapons, a roof to sleep under, and how do you repay us? By stealing.”

 

The American grimaced as he felt cold steel run across his cheek as the leader continued toying with him.

 

“We put our trust in you, and you simply tore it away. This is the end of the line for you, Ryan. Any last words?”

 

“Yes. . and it's that tonight isn't my night to leave quite yet.”

 

Ry was quick to elbow the man in the stomach, catching the blade with his hand. He hissed in pain as it cut through his skin easily, but that didn't stop him pushing the man back. Daniel growled as he pulled him to the ground with him, both males wrestling against each other.

 

“Give it up, Ryan! You’re going to die here today!”

 

“No I’m not!!”

 

He gripped the blade in his hand and brought it down, stabbing half of it into Daniel’s chest. The man gasped and started coughing out blood, before Ryan pushed it all the way in. Daniel went limp underneath him and he quickly stood up. The blue eyed man quickly stood up and picked up Mary, running across the forest with her, and not failing to notice the distant sound of a car approaching.

 

As he reached his group, he quickly handed Mary to Ken, looking at them with wide eyes.

 

“We have to go, now. There are more of them on their way.”

 

“Do you know how many?”

 

“No, I just know it's enough to get us all killed.”

 

With that, they quickly moved, using the dense forest as their cover. Michelle carried Kristen on her back, and although it slowed them down, it was better than nothing.

 

Suddenly, the sound of a gun rang through the air, and Felix turned his head just slightly to see the bullet go straight through Ryan's chest. His eyes widened as the man cried out in pain, tripping and falling onto the ground. He groaned and looked up at Felix, giving him a small smile to try and reassure him.

 

Felix didn’t fail to notice the fear in his eyes.

 

“Go.”

 

He knew he should’ve stayed, he should’ve gone back and helped him. But the child in his arms cooed and looked up at him with innocent eyes, making his heart clench. Slowly, he turned away and let his feet carry him, breathing hard as he sprinted farther and farther away from the only person that kept his world together.

 

He flinched as a loud crack filled the air behind him, ripping salty tears from his eyes as he held Layla close to his chest.

 

One shot, and only one person left behind.

 

Ryan.

* * *

 

“David? I. . There’s something I need to tell you.”

 

The tall Irishman looked up from cleaning his gun to see Arlan standing at the doorway, chin up and eyes staring intently at David. He tilted his head, putting his weapon down and standing up, easily towering over the shorter male.

 

“What is it? Are you going out on a run today?”

 

“No. It’s about me. David. . I have to leave.”

 

“. . What?”

 

The hispanic man sighed and walked up to the taller, taking his hands in his own and gripping them. Taking a deep breath in, he looked up at David and kept a poker face.

 

“I have to leave. When everything started happening, my sister called and said she was taking our baby sister back to Monterrey, with my grandparents. I absolutely _need_ to go. They’re my younger sisters, I need to be there for them.”

 

“I’ll go with you.”

 

“No. This is my journey, and as much as I love you and Lui, I want- no, need to do this alone.”

 

“Alone? Arlan, it is hell out there! You’ll die if you travel alone!”

 

“And that’s why I need to go alone! If you go with me, there’s a huge possibility the narcos are taking care of the border, and if we go as a large group, they’ll surely kill us.”

 

“But-”

 

A loud bang coming from the living room, along with a cry of pain caught their attention as they turned to the door. Arlan stood still for a second, before reaching for his gun, pulling it out and aiming. David grabbed his own on the bed and clicked the magazine back in, racking the slide forward and taking aim.

 

They waited silently, their hearts pounding in their ears as they waited for something to happened. Suddenly, the door opened a bit and in looked Marcel, eyes droopy. They both sighed softly and lowered the guns, to which the dark skin male seemed to shake his head.

 

“Don’t. . Please don’t d-”

 

He suddenly slumped forward and fell to the ground, making Arlan jump and rush towards him. He stopped, however, as a man with a metal bat stepped in from behind the door, looking at both males boredly.

 

“Grab them.”

 

Two other men stepped in from behind the guy, walking towards David and Arlan. The hispanic man raised his gun, but stopped short as the guy with the bat placed his foot over Marcel’s back and pressed down hard, earning a whimper from the dark skinned male.

 

“Put it down. You don’t want to see your friend getting hurt now, do you?”

 

David looked at Arlan, then grabbed his shaking hand and pushed it down. Both males let go of their guns and were immediately grabbed by the other’s men, who didn’t hesitate to literally drag them into David’s living room. Evan looked up from where he kneeled on the ground, only to reveal a harsh hit to the back of his neck.

 

He groaned and looked down, biting his lower lip and clenching his hands on his lap. They threw the other two down onto the floor, causing Lui to clench his teeth.

 

“Hm. . What should I do with you all? Should I kill everyone one by one, or should I only kill one of you? What do you think, mister so called _leader._ ”

 

The other man brought the cool metal bat under Evan’s chin and lifted it up, causing Evan to glare at him and move his head away quickly.

 

“I’m not the leader. No one here is. We all contribute equally to this group. Look man, whatever you guys want, take it. Just don’t hurt my friends.”

 

“Friends huh? Let me think about it. . how does no feel for an answer?”

 

“Then what the hell do you want?”

 

“A slave.”

 

The small group was stunned, as Craig’s mouth opened and closed slowly, trying to form words. Eventually, he slowly started to speak, voice quivering slightly with shock.

 

“A slave. . ? Dude, I know the world is fucked but is that really necessary? All everyone is trying to is survive another day.”

 

“Exactly why we need one. I am not going to put my men in danger any longer. That is why we need a slave. Now, which of you is the youngest?”

 

Everyone kept their mouths tightly shut, as Marcel slowly started gaining conscious once again. Lucas slowly whispered to him to take it slow, not letting the man sit up. Marcel looked up at the youngster, who bit his lip worriedly. He opened his mouth to say it was him, but was cut off by Arlan.

 

“I am. I’m the youngest.”

 

“You? Are you sure? It looks like that one over there is the youngest.”

 

The man pointed his bat in the direction of Lucas, who looked at the hispanic man with confusion running through his eyes. He was 19, while Arlan was 22. However, he simply gave him a small smile, then looked up at the leader.

 

“He might have a baby face, but I can assure you that it is me.”

 

“Alright. Hey Brent, get these people whatever you think they should have and take them away. This is your first and only warning. If you ever try to come back to this place, your little friend here will pay for the consequences.”

 

“Wait, what? No, no Arlan you can’t stay here! Arlan please!!”

 

Lui cried and tried reaching for the man, but was held back by Evan who had his head hung in shame. The shorter male struggled against the Asian male, screaming at him to let go, but was simply dragged out of their once safe home.

 

“David.”

 

The Irishman looked at Arlan with hopeful eyes, but the other simply gave him a weak smile.

 

“Look for them, and keep them safe. Please.”

 

“Arlan. . “

 

David’s lower lip quivered and he looked away, biting the inside of his cheek to keep his sobs to himself. Slowly, he looked up at his lover and nodded slowly, tears flooding his eyes quickly,

 

“I promise.”

 

“I love you.”

 

“I lo-”

 

He was then pushed out the door and a small bag was thrown at them. The door was slammed in his face, and he could only stand there, shaking from the sobs racking his skinny body. As he picked up the bag and turned, he heard Arlan start to plead and scream his and Lui’s name. He dug his nails into his cold palm and closed his eyes tightly, forcing his long legs to walk away.

 

The small group slowly walked out of the building, Craig helping Lucas carry Marcel, while Evan walked ahead with his head lifted, but shoulders no longer as broad as before. Lui slowly tumbled down the stairs, walking alongside them like a mindless zombie.

 

David stopped and looked back at the building, gripping the bag in his hand tightly.

 

“I promise I’ll find them, Arlan. I’ll come back for you, too. Just stay alive a while longer. . “

 

Those screams would torment him throughout the cold night that followed.

* * *

 

“Brian.”

 

He kept walking.

 

“Brian.”

 

His hands were shaking.

 

“Brian!”

 

The Irishman turned around sharply, eyes set on a hard gaze as Tyler glared back.

 

“Will you listen to me? We need to go back for Ryan. He won't survive the night out here alone.”

 

“He could rot in hell for all I care.”

 

The taller male’s eyes widened as Brian turned around and kept walking forward, not even turning around to see if the other two followed after him. John sighed and looked at Tyler for an answer.

 

“What should we do?”

 

“I. . I don’t know. . I really don’t know. . “

 

Tyler stood there, looking at the ground with wide eyes, shoulders tense and shaky. John watched him, before noticing small droplets hit the dirt ground below him. The platinum blonde patted Tyler’s shoulder while shaking his head.

 

“Let’s go. You know he wouldn’t take him back anyways.”

 

Tyler bit his lower lip and rubbed his eyes roughly, trying to stop the salty tears. Yet, he could only cry harder as small sounds escaped past cracked lips, his heart clenching as he slowly started walking after Brian.

 

His mind swirled with the memories of all the time spent with Brock, of the time spent with Ryan. The time spent with both males that he know lost in a simply moment, like ashes scattering in the wind. First he had lost his first family, and slowly, his second family was disappearing as well.

 

He turned his head slightly to look behind him, tears streaming down dirty cheeks as the building where he lost two friends became smaller and smaller. He slowly turned away and kept walking, his once lively eyes becoming duller by the second.

 

Brian stomped ahead, feelings turning ice cold and dangerous. Venom bubbled deep inside him, ready to burst out the second anyone or anything got in his way. At this point, he didn’t care. He didn’t care if he left the other two behind, he didn’t care if he continued walking throughout the night in the open. He simply did not care.

 

Tyler attempted to catch up to the shorter male, attempted to reach out and pull him out of the dark abyss he was letting himself be consumed by. However, he stopped.

 

He doesn’t know why, but it was as if a switch was turned off inside of him, making him simply drop his hand and keep walking without a word. He knew he couldn’t save Brian, even if he tried. The Irishman was dead the second he shut himself away from the others, and there was nothing Tyler could do about it.

 

Could he really go on like this?

* * *

 

_“Will we make it?”_

 

_“What?”_

 

_“Do you think we’ll make it? You know, back into a normal society, and not in a world like this. How long has it even been? Four months? Six?”_

 

_“Five and a half. It’s been nearly half a year since the first attack.”_

 

_Jack huffed a weak laugh as he kept walking, looking down at his sneakers which were already falling apart. He looked at his hand, rough and covered his cuts, then at Mark, who seemed to have aged from the fatigue. His beard was longer than before, and dark bags settled under chocolate brown eyes that seemed to have never lost their shine, even after all he’s been through._

 

_Jack frowned and stopped, reaching out and caressing the other’s cheekbone, so gentle and soft, as if he would hurt him. Mark leaned into the warm touch from the other and closed his eyes, hand coming up to grab ahold of Jack’s. He brought it close to his lips and pressed a chaste kiss to his knuckles, causing Jack to smile._

 

_“We’ll make it. I promise you.”_

 

_“Together?”_

 

_“Together.”_

 ----

The same conversation kept coming back to him as he sat in the corner of the room, hugging his knees close to his chest and sobbing into them. The room was quiet except for the creaking of the rope swinging back and forth melodically.

 

Mark’s body hung at least a foot off the ground, corpse swinging back and forth slowly. His shadow casted over Jack, causing him to try and move even closer to the wall than he already was.

 

“Y-You promised me. . You promised you wouldn’t leave me like this. . You said we would get out together. . M-Mark. .”

 

A broken sobbed escaped him, lower lip quivering as he screamed into his knees, throat starting to get scratchy. He cried and cried until a barely audible noise came from him, face sticky with tears, snot and sweat. Jack simply fell onto his side, staring up at his lover’s body, swinging there as if it were a reminder of the world they lived in.

 

A world where there was no hope left.

* * *

 

“Max.”

 

“Adam.”

 

Adam smiled a bit and scooted closer to him, running his hands through Steven’s hair. The Canadian had his head on the older male’s lap, currently taking a nap after Adam told him to relax. The younger relaxed under the touch and moved back, closer to Adam’s stomach for warmth. Max glanced over at him, then up at Adam.

 

“How’s he doing?”

 

“Much better. Still, he’s too weak to move for a long time. We can’t let that happen again.”

 

“Did he ever tell you about it?”

 

“No. . I’m guessing because he wouldn’t want to us to do all the work. But still, a simple cut could kill him, and this time it was way too close for comfort.”

 

_**( Please listen to Letters From The Sky (Acoustic) by Civil Twilight )** _

 

Max wrapped his arm around the other’s shoulders and leaned against him slightly, closing his eyes and relaxing. Adam smiled and kept his eyes open, moving only to pull Steven’s blanket up to cover his shoulder. The only sounds he heard were those of the rain falling around them, their small space under the tree keeping them dry.

 

He looked at Max, then leaned in and placed his lips against his cheek, not exactly kissing him but instead just placing them there. Max’s eyes opened and stared ahead of him, not saying anything in fear of breaking the relaxing atmosphere. Instead, he turned and grabbed the other man’s chin in his fingers, placing his forehead against his and closing his eyes.

 

“I lo- I care about you, Max.”

 

“I care about you too.”

 

They both smiled as the wind ruffled their hair, and made their cheeks cold. The Mexican man leaned in and gently pressed a chaste kiss against his lips, keeping them pressed lightly against the other’s. Adam sighed into it and moved Max’s hair back, feeling the other’s pulsing skin beneath his fingertips.

 

“I want you close to me forever.”

 

“I will always stay close. And I’ll never let you go.”

  
That night was more than just another night. That night held an important meaning for him, even if no one else thought it did. Without even having to say it, they confessed their darkest secrets to each other. And that night, they had let their demons go and simply been themselves for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi there
> 
> sorry
> 
> no happiness today
> 
> I cry :'(((


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warning
> 
> mentions of rape do happen in this chapter
> 
> don't like, then just don't read
> 
> also happy new year!!

**_3 Months Later_ **

 

“Evan?”

 

Silence.

 

“Evan, dude you need to eat. Come on, we need to keep moving, it’s nearly December and the weather just keeps getting worse.”

 

The Canadian continued laying on his side, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. The thin blanket was brought up to his chin as his hair was messy and dull, body visibly trembling from the cold winter air. Craig sighed and hesitantly left the room, shaking his head when Marcel sat up from his place on the ground. 

 

Lui was in the corner of the room, cleaning a blood-covered knife with a dirty rag, eyes focused solely on the task at hand. David once again was outside, laying on the roof with a silenced sniper at hand and two blankets covering him, the heavy snow falling around him and giving him a cold camouflage.

 

“Hey Lui, mind fetching David? It’s starting to get dark and his shift was a long time ago.”

 

“Alright, I’ll go get him.”

 

Craig nodded and sat next to Lucas, who was messing with his worn out shoes. He kept looping the laces weirdly, before noticing a bit too late and cursing silently. The older couldn’t help but smile as he grabbed the younger’s hand to stop him. Lucas looked up at him and silently handed his shoe to Craig. He sat crossed legged next to him and started to lace them up for him, shivering a bit from a cold breeze blowing in.

 

“You know, we need to get you new shoes. These ones are practically falling apart already. How ‘bout if you and I go out tomorrow to look for some shoes?”

 

“We really don’t have to Craig, these ones are fi-”

 

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed the blood on your socks, Lucas. We’re going tomorrow whether you like it or not.”

 

Lucas puffed one of his cheeks out childishly, causing Marcel to chuckle and ruffle his hair. The younger couldn’t help but smile as he leaned against the dark-skinned male’s hand, closing his eyes and sighing softly. Lui and David walked in through the door, the taller visibly shaking from the cold as the other rubbed his arms in an attempt to warm him up. Marcel then got up and grabbed the cold gun out of David’s hand, patting his shoulder before walking out.

 

Once Craig finished lacing Lucas’s shoes, he stood up and looked at David, before shaking off his jacket and draping it over the shivering shoulders of the Irishman. David looked like he was about to protest, but the British man just raised his hand and shook his head. 

 

“I’ll sleep with Lucas, that way we can both stay warm. Lui, you take him to the bed and get him warmed up, don’t want him getting hyperthermia.”

 

Lui nodded and took David to the bed, leaving Lucas alone with Craig. He helped the younger man up before they both went to the little mattress in another corner of the room, old and worn out. Craig laid down with his back to the wall and once Lucas laid down, hugged him closer to his chest while draping the blankets over themselves. At this point, they were basically like brothers, the British man treating him like a little brother. 

 

Lucas sighed softly and rested his forehead against the other’s chest, relaxing as Craig started running his fingers through his hair. Closing his eyes, he started drifting off to sleep, the sound of the wind blowing in through the cracks in the window and the other man’s soft breathing lulling him to sleep. Craig also ended up drifting off to a light sleep, holding the other close to him for protection.

 

A few minutes later, or hours, he couldn’t tell from the darkness, Craig heard the soft sound of feet walking, causing him to open his eyes slowly. He saw Evan standing by the door that they were to use as an escape route, which leads deep into the woods to a little cabin. The Canadian took a deep breath and stepped out, careful to close the door behind himself as he ran off to who knows where.

 

Craig slowly sat up, carefully placing Lucas on the bed before standing up. He shivered as he put on his shoes and grabbed a rather thin sweater out of his bag, putting it on and slipping out of their base quietly. He could barely see what was in front of him as he cautiously walked through the snow-covered ground, hugging himself as the icy wind nipped at his skin.

 

Through the grey slivers of moonlight that showed through the trees, Craig followed the footprints Evan had left, eventually reaching their hidden cabin after a while. He froze as he saw a soft light glowing from inside the house, causing a shiver to run up his spine that had to do nothing with the cold.

 

He slowly trudged over to the window on the side of the house, careful to not let his shadow be seen as he kneeled on the cold ground and peeked over the ledge. His eyes widened and a sick feeling came to his gut as he saw the scene play out in front of him. 

 

Not being able to take it any longer, he carefully walked away, tears welling up in his eyes and a bad taste rising into his throat. Once he reached the base, he slipped inside and immediately walked over to Lucas just as the younger sat up and rubbed his eyes sleepily.

 

“Craig. . ? Is something wrong?”

 

“G-Go back to sleep, Lucas. .”

 

He said nothing as he watched Craig simply crawl into the rickety bed, hugging him tightly and trying to swallow down the lump forming in his throat. He failed, however, and ended up sobbing gently into Lucas’s hair, his back leaning against the wall as the scene kept playing over and over in his head.

 

Evan, completely nude, laying on a wooden table with his legs spread as another man had his way with him, tears streaming down his face as his back arched off the surface he was on.

 

_ “You like this, don't you, you little slut. All to protect your friends. Do you do this for them too?”  _

 

_ “N-No- Ah! I d-don’t. please, I’m begging you, don't h-hurt them. .” _

 

_ “Offering your body for their lives. Ha, pathetic.” _

 

Those words pulled at his heart as he kept sobbing quietly, Lucas not being able to do much but hug him tight and rub his back soothingly, running his fingers through the other's hair and letting him know he was okay in a hushed tone. 

 

Craig simply whimpered and hugged him more, crying into the other's shoulder as to keep the secret from everyone else.

* * *

_ ”Thank you. Really, thank you all so much for the time we spent together. But now, it's my time to go. I want to find my friends, my family. I'm sorry, but I have to leave.”  _

 

_ “Anthony, are you sure? We can go with you-” _

 

_ “Jonathan, it's alright. It's better you guys stick together while Luke’s recovering. And besides, I know you guys are looking for them, so go ahead. Find your own family too.” _

 

_ “Thank you.” _

 

_ “No, thank you. I enjoyed our time together. Hope one day we'll be able to hang out again soon.” _

 

_ “Good luck out there man.” _

 

_ “You too. And Jonathan? All the best to you and the group.” _

 

The Italian man’s eyes shot open, the memory still fresh in his mind. He sat up from the dirty floorboards he had slept on in a looted Barnhouse and glanced down at the floor below him. A couple of prints from some biters that had stumbled in during the night, but besides that everything was clear. 

 

A tired sigh left his lips as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a medium piece of wood, different scratch marks engraved on it. Anthony proceeded to take his knife out and carve another line into it, putting the sharp object down before admiring his work.

 

Exactly three months. Three months since he left Jonathan's group, and eight and a half months since the apocalypse began. It was barely going to be a year, yet it felt as if it had been forever. 

 

He turned to look to his right as a body stirred next to him, smiling softly and laying back down. A dirty blonde haired man groaned and turned onto his side, slinging his arm over Anthony and hugging him close.

 

“Morning sleepy head. Rest well?”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“Aw come on Tom, don't be rude.”

 

Anthony couldn't help but giggle as the other grumbled and nuzzled his face into the other's shoulder. He sighed and closed his eyes, shivering as a cold breeze blew in from the open doorway below them. Tom stayed quiet, before looking into Anthony's eyes.

 

“Do you think he'll answer today?”

 

The Italian man’s lips turned into a tight line as his eyes looked away, sitting up once more and staying quiet. Tom also sat up and stared at him, before running a hand through his messy hair. 

 

“Sorry.”

 

“It's fine, I was actually wondering the same thing.”

 

“Wondering what?”

 

Both males turned to look at a dark-skinned male as he sat up on his forearms, sleepiness still prominent on his face. Tom smiled softly and motioned him to lay down, speaking in a hushed tone and lulling the other man to sleep once again.

 

“Let's do it. I want to make sure Ant here is happy by the time he wakes up.”

 

“You know we only have a limited amount of battery, right?”

 

“And I’m willing to risk it to make sure Steven is okay. So are you in or are you in?”

 

Anthony smiled and stood, helping the slightly taller male up.

 

“I’m in.”

* * *

A shaky sigh left chapped lips as Tyler brought his legs closer to himself, rubbing his arms and trying to stay warm as his body trembled slightly from the cold. He immediately looked over to his right as John stirred in his sleep, then calm down afterwards.

He smiled tiredly at the youngster and reached his hand out to stroke his hair, yet stopped himself and pulled his hand to his chest quickly. 

 

_ ‘a filthy pig like you doesn't deserve him. you don't deserve to have a friend like him. disgusting.’ _

 

Tyler shook his head, trying to get rid of the voice inside his head. His nails dug into his palm, trying to distract himself in any way. Suddenly, the door behind him opened up, and he immediately froze.  Heavy footsteps started to near him as he took a deep breath in and slowly turned around. 

 

The stranger stood in front of him quietly, before reaching out and stroking Tyler's cheek with his thumb.

 

“How’s my kitten doing? Good, I hope. Now come on, you know what to do.”

 

He could only nod as he hesitantly rids himself of his warm shirt, turning around and sitting on his knees. Tyler heard the familiar sound of a belt buckle being undone, then the presence of the other man behind him. 

 

From beside them, John lay awake, staring at the wall and forcing himself to keep pretending he was asleep. He closed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek as he heard his friend scream and cry out in pain. The sickening sound of leather meeting skin, and that of Tyler begging for no more.

 

He shook with rage, yet couldn't do anything but listen. This was his punishment, and it was given to him by not a stranger, but instead by Brian. Memories came flooding back as he let a small tear slip out of the corner of his eye.

 

_ “Look, you see that? That's a fort, maybe there's something we can use in there.” _

 

_ “Or maybe we can sleep. John and I are both on the verge of passing out here.” _

 

_ “Too risky.” _

 

_ The taller male shook his head tiredly and followed the Irishman around the fence, trying to find an entry point somewhere. They eventually found a loose board on the wall and pushed it in, taking turns squeezing through the crack and into the safe zone.  _

 

_ Once inside, they slowly rounded a corner but were stopped when they were met with the tip of a shotgun pointed at their heads. Brian cursed under his breath as he stepped back and tried to cover the other two with his body. _

 

_ “Who are you? And how did you get in?” _

 

_ “We ain’t tellin you shit.” _

 

_ “If you don’t want to see your friends get hurt then I suggest you start talking.” _

 

_ Brian glared at him, and right as some of the other men reached out to grab them, a woman’s voice rang through the air. The man who was speaking with them turned, and from their place, they saw a young woman with wavy brown hair in a loose side braid rush towards them.  _

 

_ “Wait, please don’t hurt them! I know them!” _

 

_ Tyler squinted at the woman, and as she got closer, his blue eyes widened and he felt as if the air had been knocked out of his lungs.  _

 

_ It was Lauren. Brock’s childhood friend who he had vowed to take care after her husband had left her, poor and pregnant, on the streets. Her big baby bump stood out as she neared them, a big happy smile on her face. _

 

_ “Are you sure you know them?” _

 

_ “Yes, they’re friend’s of Brock, the man I told you took me and my baby in!” _

 

_ Brian stared at her with wide eyes, before swallowing thickly. His eyes slowly went down to her stomach, as his right hand trembled violently. He closed it into a fist and dug his nails into his palm, taking a deep breath in and controlling his shaking. Looking up once again, Lauren looked at him with hopeful eyes as she stood in front of the tall Irishman. _

 

_ “Brian. . where’s Brock?” _

 

_ “I. . Brock, he’s. . “ _

 

_ “Dead. He’s dead. He was shot by someone we didn’t see.” _

 

_ Lauren froze in her spot as she quickly looked at Tyler, then started to slowly shake her head. Her breathing got faster and she stumbled back, immediately being caught by Brian. She let out a cry as she held onto the male tightly, hot tears starting to spill down her pretty face. A woman from the group came over and tried to calm her down, saying things about the baby getting hurt, yet Lauren didn’t listen and kept weeping into Brian’s chest. _

 

_ “And it’s all their fault.” _

 

_ John’s head snapped over to Brian, brows furrowing in confusion as he shook his head in denial. Brian stared at both of them with deep venom in his gaze as the pregnant woman looked at both of them with confusion. _

 

_ “H-How?” _

 

_ “They led Brock right to his death. He followed their oh so trusted friend into a building and while they were in there, he pulled out a gun and shot Brock, fleeing right after.” _

 

_ “Wait, what? Lauren, don’t believe him! He’s lying to you!” _

 

_ “Lauren, sweetie listen. You know I’m Brock’s closest friend, why would I ever lie to you? Especially something so serious!” _

 

_ Tyler clenched his teeth and started to stomp towards Brian, but was held back by some guys as he struggled against them. John also attempted to go towards Brian but was stopped by the people holding him. They both struggled in their hold as they watched both of them, hoping Lauren wouldn’t believe him. _

 

_ However, that hope quickly faded away as she looked at them, and then at the man that had stopped them before. _

 

_ “Damien, listen to whatever this man says. He is a good person, and he knows what he is doing.” _

 

_ “Alright. But what about them?” _

 

_ Brian looked at both males with a poker expression, before turning towards Damien and holding Lauren close, placing a calloused hand on her prominent tummy. _

 

_ “The tall one. Break him.” _

 

_ Tyler’s mouth went dry as he stared at the back of his once best friend as he walked away. He felt himself start shaking with rage as he kicked and punched at the men, eventually getting free and running towards Brian. However, he was pushed down to the rocky ground as he grunted and looked up, feeling his hands get tied behind his back as a voice screamed at him to calm down. _

 

_ “I promise you, Brian, I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you with my bare fucking hands! Do you hear me you son of a bitch?! You lying, two-faced motherfucker!” _

 

_ His voice started cracking as he throat started feeling sore from his loud screaming, yet his cold gaze never left Brian’s backside as he watched the person he once trusted with his life walk away freely, with a simple lie ruining everything he could’ve saved. _

 

“I’m so sorry John. . I’m so fucking sorry. . I could’ve saved you, could’ve saved us. . yet I’m so fucking weak. . I couldn’t even save Brock, I couldn’t even turn back and saved Ryan. . I’m so fucking sorry. .”

 

John gripped the blankets tighter as he heard the once strong-willed man break down into a puddle of tears, his wails ricocheting off the walls of the room and filling the hall leading to their prison with heart-wrenching cries. 

 

The cries of a broken man.

* * *

“Bryce?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“I. . nothing, nevermind.”

 

The tall blonde man stopped what he was doing as he turned and gave Ryan a look, who simply looked away quietly and rubbed his arm. Bryce placed the box he was carrying down and brushed his hands on his pants, before heading over to the shorter and standing before him. Ryan kept looking at his feet, shuffling them slightly as he refused to look up at his boyfriend.

 

"Love, look at me."

 

Nothing.

 

"Ryan."

 

The shorter unnoticeably flinched and looked up at the other, swallowing thickly and trying not to show his discomfort. However, Bryce simply smiled softly and held his arms open for him. Ryan blinked in confusion but didn't hesitate to fall into the other's arms, burying his face in his chest and breathing in his smell.

 

Bryce wrapped his arms around his waist and laid his chin on his head, humming softly and rubbing his back soothingly.

 

"Ryan, what's wrong?"

 

"I don't know. . "

 

**_(Please listen to My Boy -  Billie Eilish)_ **

 

But he did know. He clearly knew what was wrong. However, he kept his mouth shut, even as that dreadful feeling crawled up his spine as Bryce started kissing his neck. They were sweet and feathery, but suddenly, he was yanking the neck of the other’s shirt down, ripping it a bit in the process as Ryan’s neck was exposed, dark, purple bruises marking him.

 

Hands wandered down his back and to his legs, where Bryce forced them to wrap around his waist. He walked over to a wall and pushed the smaller male's body flush against it, continuing his attacks on the other's neck and collarbone. 

 

Ryan held back his gasps and moans as he slowly started shaking in the other’s arms, eyes welling up with tears as he felt his pants start to unbuckle. He let out a small whimper as a tear slipped down his face, not that Bryce noticed since he was too busy fumbling with the edge of Ryan’s boxers.

 

Suddenly, he was roughly pushed away, causing him to nearly trip over the box he was originally carrying. Ryan covered his mouth to stifle his sobs as he slid down to the ground, his other arm wrapping around himself. He looked so vulnerable, with his grey shirt ripped and hanging off of one shoulder while his pants and underwear were around his mid-thighs. 

“Ryan, what’s gotten into you?”

 

“W-What’s gotten into m-me. . ?! More like what’s g-gotten into you. . ! A-All you ever do with me i-is have sex, always! It’s like t-this relationship means shit to you. . “

 

“Ryan, love, I really do care about you! I just sometimes get carried away and-”

 

“Oh s-shut up! That's your lame excuse for basically raping me?!”

 

The taller one scrunched his eyebrows up and seemed offended as he started walking towards Ryan. His eyes widened as he whipped his head around, looking for a way out. He tried to get up and run, however, he was roughly pushed against the wall as a hand wrapped around his throat tightly.

 

Ryan struggled against his hold, grunting and coughing as the hold on his neck got tighter. Bryce glared and leaned in close, his warm breath hitting the other’s face and causing him to whimper and grab onto Bryce’s arm.

 

“You wanted me to love you, and here you have my love. I am the leader of this fucking group, and you clearly know that without me you wouldn’t survive a day out there. So you better shut that pretty little mouth of yours, okay?”

 

When the brunette didn’t respond, the hold on his throat tightened and he was now gasping for air, saliva running down the side of his mouth as he struggled to breathe. 

 

“I said, okay?”

 

“O-Okay. .”

 

The taller let him go and watched with a disgusted look at Ryan fell to the ground, gasping and choking for air. He simply rolled his eyes and turned around, picking the box up and leaving the room. Ryan waited until he was gone so he could cry to himself, his cries soft and hard to hear.

 

A while later, Mike walked in, only to find Ryan curled up in the corner of the room, arms wrapped around his knees and eyes dull. His eyes widened as he tried to rush to him to help him, but froze when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

 

He turned to see Bryce, who shook his head and pulled him away from the broken man, whose walls were falling apart around him and tearing him apart.

 

“You never loved me like you promised. .”

* * *

“Where exactly are we going?”

 

Jonathan looked up at Luke, who sat on the ground with a stick in his hand and poking the fire with it. He shrugged and sat next to him, looking up at the starry sky.

 

“I don’t know, honestly. I’m just glad to be alive right now.”

 

“Yeah, me too.”

 

The younger of the two grimly smiled as he remembered. Glancing down, he watched Luke move the stub that was now his left arm, before reaching out and lightly touching it with his fingers.

 

“I’m sorry. .”

 

“Jonathan, it wasn’t your fault. You know that.”

 

“But what if it was?”

 

Luke sighed and placed the stick down, before turning to face the other. Jonathan was hanging his head but still moved his body to face his best friend’s. Luke huffed, yet smiled softly, putting his good hand on Jonathan’s shoulder.

 

“Hey bud, look. You saved my fucking life, and I can’t thank you enough for that. If I were dead, then who’d keep you supervised so you don’t set anything on fire, huh?”

 

The younger man chuckled and looked up, grinning lazily. The other simply held his arm open for his friend and hugged him softly when Jon leaned in and rested his chin on the other’s shoulder. He returned the hug and closed his eyes, listening to the gentle crackle of the fire and Luke’s heart beating.

 

By the time he opened his eyes, morning had come, and the fire was extinguished by some snow. He was sprawled out on the floor with a blanket over him, as his head rested on Luke’s outstretched arm. The other was still asleep, head resting on his backpack.

 

Jonathan sat up and yawned, looking up at Scotty and Anthony as they were packing their things. Scotty noticed him and smiled, waving before continuing rolling up his sleeping bag.

 

“You guys are heavy sleepers, ya know? Anthony came out to take a quick leak last night and found Luke nodding off while you were out on his shoulder. We volunteered to keep a lookout and he was out like a light.”

 

“Shit, everything is still here though, right?”

 

“Yeah, don’t worry about it.”

 

Jonathan rubbed his eyes and sighed, using his free hand to shake Luke. The ginger-haired man groaned and slowly blinked, sitting up and blinking sleepily.

 

“Where am I?”

 

“Rise and shine, Luke. Time to get going.”

 

The older grumbled something under his breath while stretching, using Jonathan's extended hand to get up.

 

“Luke?”

 

“What's up?

 

“We're friends till the end of times, right?”

 

“Till the end of times, Jonathan. Till the end of times.”

* * *

”So?”

 

“Still the same.”

 

Ken sighed and rubbed his temples, heavy bags under his eyes as he blinked tiredly. Mary's hand was gently placed on top of his as she rubbed his knuckles with her thumb, looking at her husband worriedly.

 

Michelle looked at both of them, before looking away, her features tired and dirty. On her pale neck, she wore a necklace, one that had two rings on it. Wedding rings.

 

Her and her dead wife's wedding rings.

 

A door behind her opened as she turned around, watching Felix walk in holding a giggling Laylah. His face showed no emotion as he walked over to Mary and handed her the baby.

 

“She started whimpering, I think she’s hungry.”

 

“Alright, thank you for taking care of her.”

 

He simply nodded, then looked at Michelle once again. When she shook her head, he sighed and went to the door, pushing it open and walking inside. 

 

In the dark corner of the room sat Sean, mumbling things to himself as he slowly rocked back and forth. Felix walked towards him, then kneeled in front of the skinny man. He said nothing as he pushed back Sean’s messy hair, looking into his eyes and staying quiet.

 

Sean stared at him, then slowly brought his hand up, cold fingers touching Felix’s cheek. The Swedish man let him, closing his eyes and enjoying the quiet.

 

“F-Fe. . Felix. . ?”

 

Blue eyes shot open as he stared at the smaller man, watching as he smiled with cracked lips. He blinked tiredly, then slowly brought his arms up, wrapping them around Felix’s neck and hugging him tightly.

 

Felix hugged him back and slowly placed his chin on the other’s shoulder, still shocked at hearing the other’s weak and hoarse voice.

 

“Ryan. . he’s dead too. . right?”

 

“Sean. . Just shut up and rest.”

 

He laughed weakly and closed his eyes, shivering in the other’s hold as his breathing was slow. Felix sat on the ground and held him tight, telling him jokes as to keep him awake. Even as he felt the other’s heart start to slow down, he kept him awake.

 

He wasn’t going to let another person die, not when he could prevent it from happening.

* * *

“Fuck!”

 

Adam turned his head to look at Max, watching the bearded man throw a screwdriver at the ground angrily. He chuckled and picked the tool up, before walking over and sitting next to the man who seemed to be blowing steam out of his ears.

 

“What’s wrong now?”

 

“I can’t get the fucking signal up! Just when I think I got it, it drops. Every single fucking time!”

 

“Maybe you’re missing something.”

 

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

 

Adam hummed as he looked at the scarce tools they were able to find. He spotted a tiny screw at the edge of the table, shiny but hard to see. He carefully picked it up and handed it to Max, who eyed it curiously.

 

“Try this?”

 

“Do you really think this is gonna help.”

 

He shrugged as the taller sighed and kissed his temple, before working on the old radio in his hand. He was able to fit it in, and after a bit of wiring, a static sound came in.

 

Quickly, that static sound turned to familiar voices, calling out to them as both males looked at each other with a big smile. Quickly, they ran over to Steven, who sat on a rock while looking at his bandaged hand. 

 

As soon as the sound of footsteps came closer, he looked up with wide hopeful eyes. That hope quickly turned to happiness as they handed the radio to them, his voice quivering with excitement.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Steven! It’s me, Anthony, and Tom is right beside me. Have you guys gotten everything ready?”

 

“You fucking betcha.”

* * *

" _ Arlan? ¿Todavía estás aquí? Hermano, entra, hace un pinche frío. _

 

_ “Ahorita voy, sólo unos minutos más.” _

 

_ “Eres bien estúpido, sabes? Solo apurate, no quiero que te nos enfermes.” _

 

_ He chuckled as his breath danced in front of his face in a cold mist, hand gripping a knife in his hand. His sister ruffled his hair playfully before heading back inside the building, leaving him alone with his thoughts.  _

 

_ After a few more minutes, he stood up, eyes still glued to the road. _

 

_ “Wherever the fuck you two are, you guys know where to go. And I’ll wait here until you guys show up.” _

* * *

_ " _ _ Daddy? Why are you crying?” _

 

_ “It’s nothing Atlas. Daddy is just sad because someone he knew is no longer here with him.” _

 

_ “Is it the man with that weird thing on his forehead?” _

 

_ “Yes, Atlas. His name is Brock, and he was a good friend of Daddy. But he’s a lot happier where he is now, and papa is happy too.” _

 

_ Sark let out a shaky sigh as he laid the shovel down next to the mound of dirt he just finished covering. He took a kneel in front of it and placed his hand on it, closing his eyes and letting a moment of silence take over. _

 

_ Soon after, he stood up and grabbed his son’s hand, pulling him along as they kept walking. _

 

_ “Papa?” _

 

_ “Yes?” _

 

_ “We’re going to find Mommy and Aurora soon, right?” _

 

_ “Right. We’re nearly there, okay honey? Just a few more days.” _

 

_ “Okay, Papa!” _

 

_ He smiled weakly and eventually placed the smaller child atop his shoulders, making jokes and telling him stories. _

 

_ All to hear the sound of his child’s laughter. _

 

 

 

 

* * *

**Translations**

" _ Arlan? ¿Todavía estás aquí? Hermano, entra, hace un pinche frío." - "Arlan? You're still here? Brother, come inside, it's fucking cold." _

 

_ “Ahorita voy, sólo unos minutos más.” - "I'll go right now, just a few more minutes." _

 

_ “Eres bien estúpido, sabes? Solo apurate, no quiero que te nos enfermes.” - "You're so stupid, you know? Just hurry up, I don't want you to get sick." _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beware future chapters, no more sugar coating this shit lmao


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's currently 11:20 pm PST and im finna die
> 
> Have a gift that I didnt even check to see if grammer is correct bc i am sleepy
> 
> also yes i speak spanish, first language actually. i however speak ghetto spanish, so excuse me of my spanish isnt appropriate enough
> 
> Edit: forgot to say that for Adam and Max, it is indeed a wrap up. Both have survived the apocalypse and have made their official exit. So has Ken, Mary, Jack and Felix. 
> 
> Also another warning, there is implied bottom! Tyler so if you don't like that well skiddadle off. I enjoy it more than bottom! Mini bc i think it's fun. I however, respect if you don't like it.
> 
> Anyways have a nice dsy :)

“Ryan, are you sure you want to do this? We're not stopping you, but we're worried. It's dangerous out there, both the biters and people.”

“Mark, it's fine. I'll be okay. Thank you two so fucking much. Please, stay safe, and when this is all over, look for me, alright? I want to see you all, healthy and alive. Please?”

Mike stepped forward and pulled the smaller brunette man into a bearhug, eyes filled with tears as he buried his face into the other's much longer hair. Ryan slowly wrapped his arms around Mike and hugged him back, biting his lower lip as Mark joined as well. All three of them stood there, the two tall males embracing their friend one last time before parting ways. Finally, Ryan wiggled out and mustered his best smile, before slipping a grey bandana over his lower face and bringing his hood up.

Swinging his backpack over his shoulders, he placed his gun in a leather thigh holster he had made himself, as well as a small jackknife. Turning on his heels, he went to the door and opened it, hesitating before turning back around. He grabbed some old newspaper on the ground, and after a bit of looking found an old stubby pencil on the ground. In big, bold letters, he wrote something for Bryce, before handing it to Mark and finally running out at full speed.

Both males watched him leave before their attention was turned to the note.

_**‘Dear Bryce,** _  
_**Fuck you.** _  
_**-Ryan’** _

He ran through the abandoned dirt roads, making sure to stay in the shadows of the trees and avoid any human contact. A couple of times, he tripped, whether it be from a rock or a twig, or sometimes himself. However, he always got up and kept running, ignoring the throbbing pain in his knees and bleeding palms.

At some point, he stopped and panted heavily, resting against a tree and closing his eyes. Suddenly, they snapped open as he heard some bushes start to move a few feet in front of him, causing him to pull his knife out and step a few feet back. A soft growl caused him to raise his brow as a small white dog jumped out of the bushes, 2 black splotches on his face. One on the right side, near his neck, and the other covering his left eye.

Ryan froze as the dog sniffed the air, before barking at him once and sitting down. His tail wagged as he stared at the human, showing no signs of being a threat. Carefully, Ryan put his knife away, before kneeling on the ground and cooing at the dog.

“Hey little buddy, come here, I won’t hurt you. .”

He held his hand out towards the dog to sniff, and slowly the dog crept over. Ryan couldn’t help but chuckle as the pup’s snout tickled his palm before they sat back down and whined. He reached out and stroked his head before he gently picked him up and bringing him to his chest. They stayed calm as Ryan kept petting him, before getting up with a smile.

“Would you like to join me on my journey, little buddy? I could really use some company.”

With a bark and a lick to his face, Ryan laughed and set him down, starting to walk once again with the dog close to his heels. After a while of walking and laughing at his newfound companion’s way of chasing butterflies, he stopped and smiled down at them.

“Buddy. That’s what I’m going to name you.”

The dog looked up at him and tilted his head, before barking happily and running around him in circles. Ryan smiled with a laugh and kept walking, no longer having to travel the long journey home alone.

* * *

“Alright Atlas, stay close to papa, okay?”

“Daddy, I’m sleepy. .”

The little boy yawned and rubbed his eye tiredly, his other hand holding his father’s hand. Sark smiled, then kneeled down.

“Come on, get on my back and I’ll carry you.”

Atlas could only nod as he clumsily climbed onto Sark’s back, wrapping his little arms around the older’s neck and holding on. He yawned once again and closed his eyes, leaning his cheek against the other’s neck as he slowly started falling asleep. Sark stood up slowly and started walking, careful to not make noise as the first of the biters started coming out.

He quickly looked around, spotting an abandoned truck not too far away. Silently, he crept through the shadows, eyes peeled open for any of the creatures as more and more of them came staggering out. Once he reached the vehicle, he held his breath as he tested the handle with one hand. It clicked as he slowly opened it, and carefully placed Atlas in the backseat. He closed the door, before jumping as one of the biters spotted him and screeched.

Sark quickly climbed into the vehicle and slammed the door shut, just barely avoiding getting grabbed by the creatures now slamming against the truck. They screamed and moaned in pain and hunger as they left bloody handprints on the windows, whilst Sark made sure all the doors were closed.

He let out a sigh of relief, yet suddenly froze as he heard the handle start to move. Turning towards the window, he saw one of the creatures standing there quietly, their blonde hair dirty and missing in huge clumps. A pastel pink dress was ripped and covered in dirt, blood and other liquids he didn’t wanna know about. She stared at the handle as she pulled at it, head tilted to the side as whatever was left of her hair covered her half eaten face and decaying skin.

She looked up at him and moved her mouth as if speaking to him. Her lips were cut and bloody, and teeth yellow and rotten. Sark felt a cold shiver run up his spine as he slowly went to the backseat, picking up a sleeping Atlas in his arms and cradling him close. He stared at the roof of the car as the biters kept screaming and hitting the car, the jiggling of the handle filling up his head as he tried to fall asleep.

* * *

_Craig looked at the shorter man, and immediately knew by the look on his face. He smiled knowingly as he opened his arm for both David and him._

_“I’m not stopping you. Go, just remember. Stay alive, and come looking for us once this shit clears up, alright?”_

_“We promise. Good luck to you guys.”_

_Craig hugged both males tightly, tears prickling his blue eyes as he hesitantly moved away. David smiled softly, before enveloping Lucas in a hug, the younger putting his forehead on the other’s chest as he closed his eyes._

_“We’ll miss you. Stay safe, please.”_

_“We will, Lucas. Take care of them alright? Especially Craig, he puts too much weight on his shoulders.”_

_The younger nodded and hugged them both, before stepping back and biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from crying. Eventually, Marcel and Evan came out, staring at the other two silently before giving their own farewells. The now smaller group watched the two males walk off, the cold air blowing a blanket of snow in front of them and doing the job of disappearing them into the cold white winter hell._

**_\------_ **

**_9 Days Later. ._ **

“Ow! What the hell Craig? Let me go!”

Evan groaned and tried to move away as Craig pushed him up against a wall harshly, glaring at him behind his glasses. The British man kept him there as his hand gripped the front of the other's shirt tightly.

“Why?”

“Why what? What the fuck has gotten into you?”

“Why are you doing this? Evan, if they needed weapons or food, we could have provided it for them. You didn't have to go and. . and give up your body for them.”

The Canadian’s eyes widened as he froze, then slowly started shaking his head. He started to squirm and kick, anything to get away from Craig. The taller only grabbed his arm tightly and pulled him into his chest, hugging him whilst the other kicked and cried out to be let go of. Slowly, however, he started calming down, and eventually hugged back weakly. His sobs were muffled against Craig’s chest as his hands gripping his shirt from the back.

“I-I’m sorry. . I’m sorry. . I just wanted to keep you all alive. . I-I didn't want to lose you. . David a-and Lui already lost Arlan. . I don't wanna lose someone else. .”

“Shh, it's okay now Evan. You're safe here with us. I've already told everyone to gather their things, we're moving out today. I don't want you to stay here any longer.”

He meekly nodded as Craig slowly pulled away. He grabbed Evan's hand and give it a reassuring squeeze, before starting to walk towards the others. Evan had a vice grip on Craig's hand as he harshly rubbed his red face, trying to wipe away the tears that wouldn't stop. However, he just kept crying, hanging his head and watching the salty droplets of water land on the filthy ground.

When they reached the rooms they shared, Marcel immediately hugged Evan tightly. He said nothing as he buried his face in the Candian’s neck and hugged him. Evan stayed still, and suddenly hugged back just as tightly, mumbling apologies to his friend as Marcel rubbed his back and comforted him.

Craig ruffled Evan’s hair, and afterwards headed outside, where Lucas awaited holding their weapons close whilst he loaded a spare glock. He snapped the magazine in and racked the slide forward, popping his gum as he looked up at Craig. He no longer looked like the kid Craig once knew. He looked older, more mature.

He looked tired. The dark bags under hazel eyes stood out from his pale skin. His hair was a tousled mess, and was a dull colour as well. However, the smile that he gave Craig made him grin, those same dimples on both cheeks. The british man went over and ruffled his hair, causing Lucas to giggle. Craig laughed and looked at him with a smile. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Evan coming over.

Evan stayed quiet, before turning to Craig and blinking with unreadable chocolate brown eyes. Craig bit his lower lip, before turning and walking the opposite way of the building . Lucas, Evan and Marcel followed behind, the only sound surrounding them being the crunching of the snow under their shoes.

 

_Pain. ._

 

_Pain._

 

**_Pain._ **

“Fuck, hold up.”

Evan turned to look at Marcel as the dark skinned male stopped and scrunched his eyebrows up in pain. Craig and Lucas also stopped and stared back at Marcel as he grabbed his stomach and slouched over in pain. Evan gently placed his hand on the other’s shoulder as he shook his head and sighed shakily.

“I’ll be okay, let’s just keep moving.”

“If you ever need it, tell me and I’ll carry you until we’re safe.”

Marcel smiled at Evan and nodded, before they all once again continued walking, the cold not helping with the numbing pain Marcel felt as the wound on his side bled heavily through his thin clothing

* * *

“Oh fuck!”

Tom felt his heart skip a beat as the rusty ladder under his feet gave out and fell to the ground, clanging loudly in the empty street as he held on tightly to Anthony’s hand above him. The Italian cussed from the pain as Galm leaned over and helped him pull the other up, letting out a groan of relief as they reached the top window of the boarded-up home. 

Tom leaned against the wall, before joining the other two on searching the house. They looked up and down, and even pulled up some floorboards, but came out empty. Anthony collapsed on the dusty couch as Tom joined him, both staying quiet before Galm peeked his head in. He brought his finger up to his lips in a shushing motion as the creaking of the door suddenly rang through the way too quiet air. Both males froze as hushed voices rang through the house.

However, when a third voice joined, they nearly trampled over one another as they headed to the door. Standing before them, with a bandaged hand and matted hair was Steven, who froze and dropped his things. The first one to run up to him was Galm, who wrapped his arms around the slightly taller waist and twirled him around with a happy grin on his face. Steven nearly fucking squealed as he hugged the dark-skinned male back, kissing his cheek and burying his face in the other’s neck. Soon, both Anthony and Tom joined in, hugging the now sobbing Canadian tightly.

“If this is a fucking dream, I don't ever want to wake up.”

“This isn't a dream, Steven. We're here, we're really here.”

Adam and Max stood side by side a few feet away, an accomplished smile on their faces. The shorter of the duo slipped his hand into the other's, giving it a gentle squeeze as Max held on securely. Wanting to give the others some time alone, they both walked out, walking to the end of the empty hallway they barged through and to the window at the very end.

Both males stared out into the streets, watching a couple of people run in and out of buildings, slowly getting farther away until they were a small speck. A couple of birds tweeted in the distance, and a cool breeze blew in through the vents above them. Eventually, Max turned to the other and pulled him close, leaning down to place a gentle peck on his cheek.

“What are we going to do now?” 

“Go home.”

“With or without?”

“Their choice. But I just want to get somewhere safe, a permanent home. For you, for us. Adam, please come with me.”

The shorter smiled and placed one hand on Max’s neck, pulling him down while the other cupped his cheek gently. With no hesitation, he kissed him passionately, pulling away to place his forehead against Max.

“I'll go wherever you go. I'll walk to the end of the world with you if you told me to. Wherever you walk, I will too. Because I love you, and without you, I am nothing.”

The Hispanic male couldn't help the single tear that slipped down his eye as Adam gently wiped at it with his thumb. He hugged the other tightly, and before they knew it, they asked the others if they'd like to join them. However, they declined, saying they still needed to find more of their family, somewhere out there in the world.

And with a farewell and good luck, Adam and Max walked out of the building, hand in hand, and started their journey back home.

* * *

”Tyler? Dude, this isn't funny. Wake up.”

John stared at Tyler's bloody back with worried eyes, moving his long hair back and scooting closer. When the other still didn't stir, he crawled over to the taller and placed a hand on his pale arm, jumping back when Tyler jolted up and away from him. His blue eyes were wide and filled with terror as they looked at John, causing the other to frown and hold his hand out.

“Hey, calm down. It’s just me, Tyler. I'm not going to hurt you.”

“J-John. . ? Oh fuck, I'm sorry.”

The other shook his head and sat next to him, draping his blanket over the older’s shoulders and keeping close to him. Tyler grabbed the edges of the blanket and pulled them closer, closing his eyes and leaning against the wall. However, he flinched as his wounds came in contact with cold cement and immediately sat up. John stayed quiet, before standing up and going to the door.

With as much strength as he could muster, he banged on their prison and yelled for their caretaker at the top of his lungs. Tyler flinched and looked up at the younger with concern, trying to get him to stop. However, the sound of light footsteps caught his attention as Lauren appeared behind the bars. She no longer had her big stomach, a clear sign that the baby had been born. He stared at her tummy for a second, before focusing on John as he talked to the woman.

“Lauren, please, I need some medication, rags, anything. Tyler will catch an infection and _die_ if I don’t clean the cuts. Please, I’ll do anything. _Anything._ ”

She cautiously looked around, before taking off a bag tied at her waist and handing it to him through the bars. Both males stared at her confused as she shushed them and spoke in a soft voice.

“In that bag are medical supplies and food, enough to last you at least 2 weeks. Brian has taken charge of the camp, and although he is very sweet to both me and Brianna, he kills anyone who disobeys the rules.”

“Brianna?” 

“My baby.”

Tyler smiled softly and was about to get up before she turned at the sound of a voice calling her name gently. She whispered back and gave them one last smile before running off towards the exit. John turned to look at Tyler with a small smile before sitting down next to him and opening the bag. He took out some alcohol-infused pads and started cleaning the blood off Tyler’s back, whispering gentle things to him as the taller hissed in pain.

Soon, his back was clean and bandaged up, and he was laying his head on John’s lap to give his back a rest. The younger ran his fingers through Tyler's tangled hair and munching on a fresh apple, sometimes bringing it to the other’s lips so he could at least eat something. For once, the silence wasn’t as deadly as before, and it instead relaxed them.

However, that relaxation quickly faded as they heard shouting outside, before hearing Brian’s booming over the rest. He went deadly quiet, then shouted some muffled orders at them. Before they knew it, the prison door at the end of the hallway opened and loud protests resonated through the room. They both hurried to get up, recognizing the voices, and stood by the door, waiting.

In came Craig, Lucas, Marcel and Evan, faces bruised and arms tied behind their backs. As soon as they looked up, they froze and stared at the other two behind bars. Their captors cut the rope, opened the door and shoved them inside. The rest stumbled in, while Marcel fell to his knees with a painful groan, face pale and a layer of cold sweat covering his body. He held onto his now bleeding side as the people locked the door and walked away.

Craig immediately kneeled next to Marcel and helped him lay down, lifting the bloodied fabric up to expose the drenched in blood bandages. Marcel moaned in pain as John quickly came over with their supplies and handed them to Craig, while Lucas ripped the sleeve of his shirt and used it to wipe the sweat covering Marcel’s forehead. Craig stared at John, before giving him a toothy grin.

“Hey.”

“Hey. I know this is really touching but Marcel is dying on us right now. Let’s skip all this shit until we know he’s okay.”

“Right, yeah sorry.”

John smiled and helped Craig cut the bloodied bandages off the other’s stomach. At the sight of the cut, John’s blue-grey eyes widened and he stuttered. Large lacerations covered the abdomen of the caramel skinned man, deep and heavily bruised. Quickly, the British man opened the bag John gave him and took out the cleaning pads, gently cleaning the blood around it. When they were about to clean the cuts, Marcel’s eyes went wide and he shook his head unsteadily. He started to panic as the others tried to get him to calm down, until evan came over and held his hand tightly.

Scared brown eyes looked at the Canadian as he placed the sleeve of his sweater in front of the other’s chapped lips and smiled reassuringly. Marcel slowly nodded and took the cloth between his teeth, closing his eyes and gripping his hand. Slowly, Craig squeezed the alcohol onto the wounds, causing the injured man to scream into the sleeve and grip Evan’s hand. He tried to comfort him, while Lucas covered his eyes and looked at the other two who were trying to heal him with worry.

After what seemed like hours, they were finally able to sew him up, Craig lifting his weak body up a bit so John could wrap the clean bandages around his torso. Once that was done, they slipped a painkiller into his mouth alongside some water and gently let him rest on a makeshift bed Tyler made using their blankets and pillows so he’d rest comfortingly. After he was gently placed on it, Craig sighed tiredly and wiped his bloody hands on his jeans, standing up and looking back.

John and Lucas were hugging like there was no tomorrow, tears slipping past their cheeks and onto each other’s shoulders. Evan and Tyler were doing the same, a shaky smile on Evan’s lips as Tyler couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. When they pulled away, Tyler stared at Craig with teary blue eyes, smiling and walking to him. Craig smiled  back and held his arms out, hugging him as close as physically possible as the taller basically ran into his arms. Tyler silently cried into his hair, while Craig gently rubbed his back.

“Ssh, I’m here Tyler. I’m here, love. No need to be afraid anymore.”

Hours later, they found themselves sitting close to Marcel , chatting and laughing softly as to let him rest. However, as it got darker and colder, Tyler seemed scared, tensed up, like he was expecting something terrible to happen. Craig eyed him suspiciously, before wrapping his arm around his waist and pulling him flush against his side. Tyler tensed at the touch, but slowly relaxed, smiling and putting his forehead on his shoulder. Once the other’s went to sleep, Craig brought Tyler into his lap, pressing velvety kisses to his neck and collarbone.

The former shivered and ran his fingers through his dirty brown hair, closing his eyes and relaxing at the touch. Craig laid him on the ground slowly and tenderly, lifting up his shirt a bit and pressing kisses to his stomach. Tyler covered his face and whimpered, putting a hand on Craig’s shoulder to stop him. Once the other looked up at him, he wrapped his arms around neck and pulled him in for a kiss, pulling away slowly and pressing his forehead against him.

“Craig, I. . I have to tell you something.”

“You can tell me anything, love.”

“I’m fucking broken. I’m so fucking broken and I hate myself so much because of it. But I had to. . I had to protect John. And I deserved it. . I killed Brock, and it’s all my fault. .”

By this point, tears spilled down his red face as Craig stared at him in shock. He awaited an answer from the other male, and started falling more and more into his dark hole the more time passed by without his lover saying anything. At some point, he started pushing Craig away, but was stopped as he grabbed ahold of his hand and kissed it. He kissed his cheek, his forehead, his lips. He looked into Tyler's eyes with pure love, a look that had the taller melting under him.

“It's not your fault. Whatever happened out there isn't your fault, no matter what you say. I want to help you, please. I love you, Tyler.”

“Craig, make them go away. .”

The British man kissed his tears away and slowly trailed downward, reaching his shirt and slowly taking it off. He took in the other's body as his kissed his chest, right where his heart was and held his hand. Craig spent the whole night showing Tyler he was worth something, he was loved. Between whispering sweet words into his ear, to his soft touches that had gasps coming out of Tyler's mouth, he was loving.

He eventually fell asleep against Craig's chest, while the other cleaned him up and fixed his clothes. He sighed and fell asleep as well, arm wrapped protectively around his waist.

He wasn't going to lose him again. He lost him once, and he wasn't going to repeat the same mistake twice.

* * *

 ”Stop moving, Jon. You're gonna make me cut you.”

“I'm fucking nervous, okay?”

“Hey, be nice. We all needed a haircut, so suck it up.”

Scotty snorted as Jonathan puffed his right cheek out childishly and stilled, feeling him grab parts of his hair and Luke cut off the overgrown tips. A dusty set of hair clippers sat on the ground in front of them, batteries still working. Blue eyes closed as he felt the cold blade of the hairdressing razor clean up any necessary areas. Luke brushed him off, before handing a mirror to him with a proud grin.

“Take a look.”

Jonathan hesitantly opened his eyes, and was taken back by his reflection. Luke had done a wonderful job of getting his hair back to the original way it was over a year ago, both sides shaved in a fade and the rest in an long undercut that Luke messed with playfully.

“Do you like it? I remember your sister used to cut your hair when we were younger, and I somehow memorized the way she did it.”

Jonathan was left without words as he slowly put the mirror down and looked at his best friend and Scotty. Scott had his short hair back to normal once again, while Anthony not only got his hair cut, but his beard trimmed as well. Luke was the same, having it gotten done by Scott while he took care of his way too long beard.

Scott examined their work with a proud look, before getting up and dusting the hair off his lap.

“I'll be taking a shower real quick, Anthony should be done in a bit. You two should get one as well, we all deserve this.”

He walked away to the shower room, in an abandoned sheriff's office that had its own, surprisingly, still functioning private water tank. Jonathan continued staring at Luke, before grinning as a few tears managed to fill his eyes.

“Thank you.”

“No Jon. We all deserved this, like Scott said. We’re almost to the military base, we deserve a chance to start over again.”

The blue eyed man nodded, before shaking the hair off of himself and getting up. Luke copied him, and followed him into the steaming bathroom where Scott was praising the heavens above for the warm water. Jonathan couldn't help but snort at him as he took his sweater off and slipped off the dirty and musky shirt. Luke did the same, and once they were both nude, stepped into different stalls where they turned the knob until fresh, warm water cascaded over them. Jonathan froze, before he started giggling like crazy. He let out a loud cheer, before enveloping himself and letting the clean water wash away the grim from his tired body.

Scotty laughed as well and handed him some shampoo they had found in the abandoned lockers, as well as body wash and rags to be used as lofas. Jonathan poured a generous amount on his palm, before resting it on the divider for Luke and washing his freshly cut hair. The sweet smell of the soap filled his nose as black suds filled with dirt splashed against the floor. Luke, with Jonathan’s help once the dirty soap was washed off, groaned in delight as his head once again felt clean and light, not heavy with dirt and sweat.

As he washed the shampoo out, he opened his eyes and smiled softly to himself.

Maybe, just maybe, things were starting to look up for them.

Maybe they really did survive this shitty apocalypse.

* * *

His hand wasn’t even shaking. His fingers were bloody and pale, while the rest of him looked dead. It hadn’t even been half an hour and the bite was already kicking in. He smiled grimly through bloody teeth as he stared at the revolver in his hand, a single bullet left in it.

He had to.

The memory of earlier came back to him as he looked at the minivan in the very far distance, barely a speck in the darkening day. A felt nothing as his grip on the gun tightened. He could do this, he had to.

After all, it was his own choice to get the bite.

Felix had pushed Michelle out of the way as a biter ran towards her from within an empty building. In broad daylight. The sun did nothing to it as it tackled the Swedish man to the ground and dug it’s crooked teeth into his thin stomach. He yelled in pain, but it was too late.

He was infected.

Ken had shot the thing in the head, while they got him into the car they had started up miraculously a few miles back. Mary and Michelle did everything they could to stop the bleeding, but there were only supplies left for one person. It was either him or Sean.

He picked Sean over himself.

Despite the other’s weak protests, Felix simply shushed him and painfully pulled him back to sleep. Once he was sure the Irishman was knocked out, he turned to Ken and without another word limped past them and to a large oak tree behind them. He carefully sat down and sighed, before starting to cough. Blood stained chapped lips as he leaned his head back and looked at them through dull eyes.

Come with us, they begged. We can find something to fix it up, please just come with us.

He refused over and over again until finally, they accepted his request to leave him a gun. They all mournfully said their goodbyes to him, Ken especially being the more hesitant. Tears filled chocolate brown eyes as he took his best friend’s hand into his own and gave it a tight squeeze. Felix wished them luck, and as his final plea, requested for pink and white orchids to be planted in whatever safe haven they found, in memory of the two lovers he lost.

The agreed, and after some tears, left him behind under the big, comforting oak tree. He kept looking at the gun, before smiling sadly and bringing it up to his head. Removing the safety and putting his finger on the trigger.

Just before pulling it, he swore he was both Marzia and Ryan standing before him, both with lovely smiles on their faces and a soft light illuminating them. They were there to lead him back home.

And back home he went.

* * *

“ _Allí, en la distancia! ¡ Veo a alguien!_ ”

Arlan’s head shot up from where he was kneeling on the ground alongside his other sibling, both playing with the baby of the three siblings. More and more people shouted as he stared at Brianna with a confused look. She shrugged and picked Natalie, holding her close and standing up.

“Stay here, alright? If anything goes bad, take Nat to the basement and stay there until I come back. If I don’t came back within and hour, you know what to do.”

“Got it. Stay safe, _hermano_.”

He smiled and kissed the top of both his sisters heads and headed outside, grabbing his gun on the way out. At the rooftop, men from the village gathered around, watching something in the distance of the snowy white woods. As he got closer, he saw the figures, eyes scrunched up in confusion. A man behind him started speaking as he kept focusing on the people.

“ _Y que tal si son enemigos, peor, que tal se los mandaron los narcos? No podemos bajar nuestra guardia.”_

_“Yo puedo hablar con ellos. Mi hermana y yo somos los únicos del pueblo que hablan inglés. Habrán las puertas, voy a salir.”_

_“Pero Arlan, que pasa si te atacan? Vas a dejar a Brianna y a Natalia solo asi?”_

_“Lo debo que hacer, abuelo. No ahí ninguna otra solución."_

So with that, alongside a blessing from his _abuelita_ , the doors were open and Arlan was let out of the small base the townspeople had built up to keep anything and everything out. He let out his breath in a visible puff of air as he slowly started walking towards the two approaching figures.

When there was a small but still noticeably large gap between them, Arlan stopped and brought the scarf that Brianna had given him higher up his face, covering his mouth from the cold wind.

“Who are you? State your names.”

“Who are _you?_ And what the hell do you mean by state your names?”

“I mean what I say. Now state your names.”

“Hell no.”

Arlan started getting irritated as his beige poncho blew in the wind, shivering from the cold that cut through the layers of his clothing. He was about to open his mouth, when the other person next the stranger spoke to them.

“Lui, calm down. Picking a fight can't do any good.”

Lui. Luis. And David. Both of them, standing in front of him, alive, threatening him sure but _alive_. His breathing stuttered as he hesitated, before speaking.

“S-Squeaker. . ?”

“Squeaker? You. . Arlan?”

A bright smile came upon his face as he signaled to the others to stand down, before running to the other two. By the time he reached them, tears stained their eyes they looked at him up and down, David's shaky hand coming up to touch his cheek.

“It really is you. .”

He suddenly threw himself on them, tackling them into the snow as the storm called down and simply fell gently upon them. He sobbed as he kissed both of them hard, breathing getting rapid as he cried and laughed at the same time. Once he was calm, Arlan enthusiastically got up and pulled them with him, a bright smile on his face.

“Come! I want to introduce you to my grandparents and to my little sisters! You two already know Brianna, but I don't think you've met Natalia. You'll love her!”

David and Lui both chuckled at his bubbly personality as they were dragged to their little hideout.

Maybe splitting from Craig's group wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

 

 

 

**Translations :**

“ _Allí, en la distancia! ¡ Veo a alguien!_ ” -- _**"There, in the distance! I see someone!"**_

 

_"Hermano" -- **"Brother"**_

 

“ _Y que tal si son enemigos, peor, que tal se los mandaron los narcos? No podemos bajar nuestra guardia.” -- **" What if they're enemies, worse, what if they're sent by the narcos? We can't lower our guard."** _

 

_“Yo puedo hablar con ellos. Mi hermana y yo somos los únicos del pueblo que hablan inglés. Habrán las puertas, voy a salir.” -- **"I can talk to them. My sister and I are the only ones from the town who speak english. Open the doors, I'm going out."** _

 

_“Pero Arlan, que pasa si te atacan? Vas a dejar a Brianna y a Natalia solo asi?” -- **"But Arlan, what happens if they attack you? Are you going to leave Brianna and Natalia just like that?"** _

 

_“Lo debo que hacer, abuelo. No ahí ninguna otra solución." -- **" I have to do it, grandpa. There's no other solution**. " _

 

_"Abuela" -- **" Grandma "**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hi
> 
> here's another chapter for yall
> 
> Also Lia and Nora might or might not be real
> 
> okay enough said enjoy :D

“Do you have any idea where they are?”

 

“No, I really don't. . Last time they told me, they were somewhere in Texas but it’s been almost a year, and I honestly have no idea where they could be.”

 

Anthony let out a small sigh, rubbing his temples as he leaned against the table. Tired eyes scanned the dirty map before him as Steven frowned and crossed his arms. Tom yawned and turned the flashlight off, taking a deep breath in and running his hand through his hair.

 

“What if they're-”

 

“No. They can't be. They're strong, I know it.”

 

“Anthony, this has been going on for a full year. At this point, anything is possible.”

 

“I know, but. . I. .”

 

The Italian went quiet and instead turned to Tom, hugging him tightly and hiding his face in his shoulder. The blonde man hugged him back, rubbing his back and whispering soothing words into his ear. Steven looked at Galm and grabbed his hand tightly, saying nothing as the only sounds that filled the room were the Italian man’s quiet sobs.

 

“Come on, Anthony. . let's get you to bed for right now, okay?”

 

He nodded and let the taller guide him to a small sheet spread out on the ground, sitting down and letting Anthony rest his head on his lap. The crying man's back was turned so the others would not see him cry, causing a pang of guilt to run through Steven's chest as he gripped the front of his shirt. He turned and nudged the other male out, a few feet away so that they wouldn't alert the other two.

 

“What if we try to find them?”

 

“Are you nuts? Steven, as much as I care about them, what you said might be right. They might be gone. .”

 

“I know, but I'm still alive. You guys are too. There's a chance that they're both somewhere out there, looking for us and wondering the same thing. It's a risk we have to take. Please, Tony.”

 

The dark-skinned male sighed and turned away, rubbing his temples while the other waited in anticipation. When he finally turned, he had a defeated look on his face that meant he gave in. Steven smiled and hugged him tightly

 

“Thank you.”

 

“I hope you know what you're doing, Steven. I really do.”

 

“I hope so too. .”

* * *

"Are you guys still hungry? There's still food left.”

 

“No, no. I'm stuffed, thank you so much.”

 

Brianna smiled happily and sat next to Arlan, cooing at the giggling baby girl on her lap. Natalia squealed and reached out for her, then for her older brother as he smiled softly and took her into his arms. He kissed her cheek gently and sat her on the table, having her face the other two males.

 

“This is Natalia, my baby sister. You guys met Brianna already, but I don't think you ever got a chance to meet this little lady here.”

 

Lui shook his head and let Natalia grab his finger, examining it with wide brown eyes. He wiggled it, causing her to giggle softly as David poked her cheek cautiously, putting a strand of curly hair behind her small ear. He looked up at Arlan and smiled as he saw him smile at both his sisters, hugging the youngest close and blowing a raspberry to her cheek. Soon, he looked up at them, eyes filled with love and joy and other emotions both of the males have not seen him show in a long time. Lui swallowed the lump forming in this throat and touched his hand gently, motioning him to their room. The younger nodded and handed Natalia back to Brianna, kissing her cheek and telling her he’d be right back.

 

He stood and left with the other two close behind him, getting to the room Lui and David slept in and closing the door. Upon turning, he was met with bear hugs, causing him to smile almost sadly and return the gesture.

 

“We thought we lost you. .”

 

“I did too. . I'm sorry. .”

 

He closed his eyes and tried not to think. Tried not to remember the things they did to him and to other people. Arlan buried his face in their arms and took a deep breath in, attempting the calm the anxiety running through his body. He looked at them and smiled, kissing Lui’s cheek and then David's, convincing himself that he was alive and so were they, and together they could beat the end of the world.

 

“Baby, what happened to you. . ?”

 

The shorter of the three felt Lui run his thumb against the side of his face, where a healing scar was prominent on his tan skin. He let out a deep, heavy sigh as he walked over to David's bed and plopped down, grabbing a pillow and hugging it close as his eyes went blank. The other two stared at each other with concern as they sat at the edge of the mattress and gave him some time.

 

“. .After you guys were kicked out, they had me tied up in a room, inside a tiny closet where I could barely _breathe._ They told me that if I ever dared to disobey them, the consequences would be deadly. So I did whatever they told me to do. I risked my life, starved, killed, _tortured_. And when I messed up. . they. .”

 

His breath hitched in his throat as he squeezed his eyes and tried to calm the anxiety bubbling in his chest. He breathed in slowly, before putting the pillow aside and looking up at them. With blank eyes, he removed the black and red hooded poncho he had on and pulled off his shirt, trying to tune out the horrified gasps the other two let out. Covering his torso were scars of every size, burn marks covering his neck and hips. When he turned around to show his back, Lui slapped a hand over his mouth and tried not to throw up.

 

Carved onto his back was the word ‘USELESS', jagged lines running across his shoulders and spine. Arlan looked down as he slowly turned once again, not trying to hold back the tears and heavy breathing that burst past his lips. He wiped furiously as his red face, his breathing getting faster and heavier as his anxiety overflowed and spewed across his face. Arlan felt himself get pulled into a warm embrace, the sweet smell of his abuelita’s soap filling his nose as he hugged the other male back. He cried heavily into David's chest as Lui wrapped his arms from behind him, kissing his shoulders and neck and telling him everything was okay, that they were there and no one would ever hurt him anymore.

 

But how could he recover when he was scarred and abused, both physically and mentally, just like the few people that were left on Earth.

* * *

“Don’t you _dare_ lay a hand on him! Brian, stop!”

 

Marcel coughed and tried to fight off Brian, tried to scream for help. But he couldn’t do much, not when his injury was still tender and the way they dragged him out just made it open up more than before. He cried out in pain as he was thrown on the ground, trying to sit up only to be pushed back down by a heavy boot on his back. Marcel panted heavily as he laid on his side, eyes teary and half-lidded as he stared at the concerned looks of his friends behind the prison bars.

 

“Aw, look at all of you. Such cute faces you make! You know, on a different occasion I would’ve probably cried and hugged you all too, but not now. You took away the person I loved. . you all did this.”

 

“Brian please, we didn’t do anything. It was an accident. . it was no one’s fault. .”

 

“Shut up!! Y-You’re wrong! All of you!!”

 

Suddenly, Brian grabbed ahold of Marcel’s hair and pulled him up onto his knees, other hand coming up to grip Marcel’s chin as he pulled his head up to face the taller. He glared hard at the injured man before a twisted grin made its way to his lips. Brian straightened up and pushed Marcel away roughly, walking towards the exit while being handed his rifle.

 

“Take care of them while I’m gone. I’ll round up some men so I can bring in more people.”

 

“More people? Brian, what the hell have you been doing?”

 

Brian turned to face John, and they were all taken back by the coldness of his eyes. Icy, blue-grey eyes that lost their warmth and innocence long ago. He stared at them for a few more seconds before opening the door and stepping out, making sure to slam it behind himself as the rest of the people either followed after him or dragged Marcel to a different location.

 

They were screwed.

* * *

“Look, papa, look! Can I have it?”

Sark lifted his head from looking under the cabinets in the ramshackle store and stared at his son, who was playing around with a small airplane, making flying noises while spinning around. The older male smiled and nodded, before telling him to stay close and continuing to look for food for Atlas. The little boy went a slight way, still making airplane noises and living in his own little world.

 

From under the shelves, Sark noticed a pair of feet standing two aisles away, just there, motionless. He then noticed them start moving before a small gurgling noise made a shiver shoot up his spine. A dark liquid splattered against the dirty tiles, as it shuffled slowly, the gurgling noise continuing. Sark held his breath as he slowly started getting up, calling out for Atlas quietly. When the little boy did not respond, the older male stood up as quickly and quietly as he could, looking around and trying to find his son. He eventually found him at the end of the aisle, eyes wide and scared as he looked at the biter shuffling his way. He turned to look at his dad, whimpering as tears flooded his eyes.

 

“P-Papa. . ?”

 

The creature turned his head to the boy and let out a high pitched cry, starting to speed walk towards the noise. At the point, Sark ran full speed towards Atlas, eyes switching between the creature and his son. Just as it was about to swing it's long, yellow nails at the little one, Sark threw himself onto him, grabbing him tightly to lessen the impact on the tile as they rolled away. Atlas cried out as a few shards of broken glass scratched his hands and legs, but tried to muffle his yelps onto his father's shoulder. The older man jumped up quickly and backed away, just as the creature whipped around and tried to see them, well, more like feel them.

 

Sark needed a way out, and fast. He looked around and saw a door slightly ajar to his left, a small closet with a window that shined pale yellow sunlight into the room. Sark ran, with the biter close to his heels as he tumbled into the room, attempting to close the door with his back as he wrestled with the creature, groaning and cursing and yelling. In a split second, Atlas was hitting the creature over the head with a broken broomstick, hard enough to stun it for a split second. But it was enough to let the older slam the door shut and lock it. He panted and kept his back to it, as the biter slammed itself against the old piece of wood that kept them separated. Atlas whimpered but stayed strong, wrapping skinny arms around his dad as the older male fell to the ground and hugged him back.

 

Sark knew what the biters were capable of.

 

He'd studied the biters, trying to understand why they appeared. He had been at Fort Detrick with his family, trying to evacuate them before it got out of hand. He remembers them calling out for women, children and the elderly first. People pushing, screaming, crying out for the loved ones. Sark kissed Katie one last time, wiping the tears from her eyes and kissing Aurora’s forehead, picking Atlas up and telling him to take care of his mother. He made sure they were safely inside the helicopter before he was being dragged out, yelling out for them as he couldn’t help the tears that fell from his eyes.

 

Suddenly, he felt a smaller body pressed up against his leg, hugging tightly and refusing to let go. He felt his heart drop as the helicopter slowly started taking off, his screams and the rest of the people’s drowned out by the loud whirring of the blades above. A gunshot, a high-pitched cry, people running. Sark picked up Atlas and ran, not looking back and trying to cover the boy's eyes from witnessing the horrors of the apocalypse. He ran into a bunker where a military officer held open the heavy metal door, closing it once a creature neared them, leaving hundreds of people outside. The older covered his son’s ears and held him close as painful screams rang through the air. The ones who had made it in huddled in the corner, trying to not panic as hands threatened to knock down the door.

 

Days, weeks, _months_ passed, he didn't know. All Sark knew was that they had them all locked down there with scarcely any food or water. And anyone who wanted to leave left, but never came back. After a brawl broke out that took a deadly turn, Sark grabbed his things calmly, held onto his son’s hand and opened the door. He left without looking back, hearing shouts and gunfire going off inside the bunker. Atlas followed tiredly, having seen too much and rarely spoke unless he needed something or wanted a toy they rarely found on their food runs. Sark stayed mostly inside the Fort, in abandoned areas where he knew no one would bother to look.

 

That meant staying in the labs. He was cautious about what he touched and made sure to stay as far away from the chemicals as possible. He even gave Atlas a breathing mask he found lying around, in case there was anything in the air that could harm the kid. However, on the nights where the screams were still something they weren’t used to, Sark spent it looking at any type of research the scientists had made on the disease.

 

And he found it.

 

Nearly two years before the end, there had been a heavy meteorite shower, bigger than the 1833 Leonids. So many space rocks landed in the Atlantic ocean that any boats and planes passing through had to be rerouted. Scientists and military specialist swarmed the area to study these rocks. However, they kept secret what exactly what they were doing, to which many people simply ignored and went along. However, those who really wanted to know pushed the scientists into telling the public exactly what they were doing. They lied and said they were testing the material of the rocks to see what galaxy they come from, and there was nothing to worry about.

 

What they didn’t want the people to know was the strange orange liquid that oozed from the rocks, contaminating the sea animals and turning them into cannibals. When vets tested them, they were pronounced braindead. However, the animals kept swimming around frenziedly, eating whatever non-infected animal was placed in their tank. They managed to keep it under control, and with that, the scientists put their guards down.

 

However, before they realized it, the liquid had gotten into the water system in the eastern part of the nation as well as many European countries that lined the Atlantic Ocean. It started getting people sick, too fast for them to contain. Doctors thought maybe it was like the flu symptoms that rattled the US earlier that same year, so they took necessary precautions to treat the flu. But people started getting worse with each passing day until at last, the first victim unfortunately, passed away. A 5-year-old boy named Lewis, who had gone swimming with his family in a lake near Maine earlier that summer, was kept in the labs at the hospital so the CDC could take a look at what exactly they were dealing with.

 

One bite was all it took.

 

As they had been taking blood samples from Lewis, a doctor had reached across his ‘corpse' to hand a tool to another worker. They were not expecting Lewis to lunge at his arm, digging his teeth into the doctor’s arm, ripping through the protective layers and nearly ripping off a huge chunk of skin. He screamed and stumbled back, knocking down tools and chemicals onto the floor as dark blood dripped onto the floor. Lewis screeched loudly and jumped onto the next person, not reacting even when armed men came in and shot him in the back. Only until he was shot through the head did he fall to the ground, but even then it was too late.

* * *

“We don’t mean any harm, we’re just. . passing through mister. .”

 

Ryan sighed and lowered his knife, pushing old glasses farther up his nose as he stared at a teenage girl with her short hair pulled back by a headband, standing in front of another girl who stared at him with wide, scared eyes. The first girl kept her stance up, even when Ryan tried to reassure her that he was no threat. At least, not until Buddy came bounding in, barking gently at them and circling his owner’s feet. He saw the slightest hint of amusement on the short-haired girl’s face as he kneeled on the ground and petted his dog’s head.

 

“This is Buddy. I stumbled onto him a while back and now he’s just grown attached to me. Buddy, meet these two young ladies, uh. .”

 

“Amelia. Just call me Lia, and this is my younger sister, Nora. We really meant no harm, mister, we were looking for a place to stay the night and we stumbled onto your place and-”

 

“Woah there, it’s okay. And please, call me Ryan. You can stay here if you need to, but unfortunately, I have no food for tonight. All the stores and apartments nearby have been swept clean.”

 

“Tell me about it. We recently abandoned a group at least a whole state back that ran cold on supplies. I don’t know how we made it, but here we are.”

 

Ryan sighed and nodded, sitting on the ground a few feet in front of the girls. Buddy stalked towards Nora, the quietest one, and sniffed her hand, nudging it gently and sitting down beside her. She smiled and giggled quietly, stroking his head and cooing at him Lia smiled at her sister, before turning back to Ryan.

 

“Nora went deaf during the first attacks after she was hit over the head with some rubble falling off a building. This is the first time since the incident that I’ve seen her smile. I guess miracles do exist after all.”

 

Ryan smiled softly and nodded slowly, before turning back to Lia and sitting just a bit more upright.

 

“You mentioned something about coming from a group, right? Did you hear anything? You know, about what the hell is going on out there?”

 

Lia froze, before turning to Nora. The youngest saw her smiled widely, signing a quick, _‘Look at his dog! Isn’t he adorable?’_ before turning her attention back to Buddy and laughing as he rolled around on the ground. Lia ran a hand through her hair, removing the headband in the process and swallowed heavily, before turning back to Ryan. Blue eyes were glimmering with tears that she blinked away quickly and cleared her throat.

 

“Everyone is dead.”

 

“. . I beg your pardon?”

 

“Everyone is _dead._ There is nothing left out there but a wasteland of mindless biters roaming around and the occasional group. But besides that, around two-thirds of humanity are left. There’s _nothing._ ”

 

Ryan blinked, tried to swallow, and choked. He excused himself and hurried out of the place and into open air, where he inhaled sharply and slapped a hand over his mouth. A familiar voice in the back of his mind told him to breathe, and he did so, but each exhale felt heavier than the last, each breath felt forced and dirty. He didn’t even realize Lia and Nora stood behind him until he felt a hand on his shoulder, making him turn around quickly and stumble back. Right back onto the edge of the stairway.

 

Right before he could trip, Lia was grabbing his hand and yanking him back, as hard as a 16-year-old malnutrition girl could. He fell forward onto his knees and panted, before mumbling out a quiet thank you and closing his eyes. When he opened them again, Buddy was licking his face and whimpering, standing beside the girls who held their hands out to him.

 

“Come, join us. It looks like you need us more than we do.”

 

He huffed a chuckle and shakily stood, not protesting when both sisters suggested taking a quick nap and moving as soon as possible when they were well rested. Back in the room, they moved an old rickety shelf in front of the door and laid on the wall opposite of them huddling together and falling asleep. Ryan, as much as sleep screamed at him, shook off his jacket and threw it onto them, sitting against a wall and bringing his legs up as close to his chest as possible, staring into the darkness and rethinking everything until finally, _finally_ , his eyes were too heavy to keep open any longer and he left them close, not planning on opening them for a few hours.

 

Or until the nightmares about **_him_ ** began again.

* * *

" _I love you.”_

 

_A satisfied sigh left bruised lips as Evan tilted his head back and ran his hands over Jonathan’s back, feeling the other’s teeth nip at the tan skin. Jonathan hummed and slipped his hands down, grabbing ahold of the Canadian’s thighs and squeezing. Evan took it as a sign and jumped slightly, letting his lover’s carry him and sit him down onto the trunk of the rented dark blue Mustang. Jonathan pulled back and looked at the shorter, grinning lazily as Evan giggled and pecked his cheek. Evan pulled Jonathan’s hoodie closer around himself, closing his eyes and relaxing as he felt cold hands slip under his shirt and rub comforting circles on his hips._

 

_“Evan?”_

 

_“What is it?”_

 

_Jonathan leaned up and kissed him deeply, putting all his love and emotion into it as he placed both hands on the other’s thighs and held onto them tight.  Evan kissed back just as hard, cupping the other’s face almost hesitantly, and with his thumbs, tracing over the slight stubble on his jaw, the soft skin on his cheeks, embracing every little feature from the other._

 

_This was their last day together until Jonathan had to go back home. When he would return, he didn’t know, but after years of caring,_ **_loving_ ** _the man in his arms, he found a feeling deep in him that just wanted Evan all for himself.  So, pulling away and looking into his lover’s beautiful brown eyes, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a promise ring. A simple, black ring with a small jewel in the middle, ‘Always’ engraved on the inside of it. Simple, yet Evan felt like he had been punched with a million different emotions._

 

_“Yes.”_

 

_Jonathan smiled almost painfully as he grabbed the other’s hand gently, slipping the ring onto a slightly calloused, slender finger and kissing his hand. Tears brimmed both of their eyes as Jonathan wrapped his arms around the shorter, burying his face on his shoulder as the cold wind blew around them, rustling the leaves on the trees, which created a natural archway for them as they cried and embraced under the setting sun, in the same place in which their friendship started, their first kiss. The hill on which their lives with each other began._

 

_“I love you, I love you, I love you. .”_

 

_Evan cried into his neck, soft sobs escaping his lips as he refused to let go of his now future husband._

 

_“I  love you too baby. Always will.”_

 

_Jonathan tried to hold back the painful feeling of regret once he dropped Evan back at his apartment, kissing him one last time. Longer, more personal. He held back the bittersweet tears in his eyes until he drove away to the airport, leaving his hoodie with Evan as a way of comforting him. He knew Luke would kick his ass for getting there late. However, once he arrived at the location they were supposed to meet up, all his best friend did was pull him into a comforting hug, letting him cry out his pain as their moment was ruined by the cold wind nipping at their skin and the droplets of water which started falling heavily onto them._

 

**_\----------_ **

 

Jonathan laid on the roof of a container ditched by a semi truck and held the ring between his fingers, inspecting it over and over again, trying to ignore the tightness in his throat as he brought the ring to his lips and kissed it gently. He looped the ring into the same string which held Luke’s pendant and slipped it on, staying on the roof for a few more seconds. He looked down to his right once he saw Luke and Scotty coming out of the woods empty handed. Jon scooted over to the edge of the container and let his feet dangle off the side as he looked at them and tilted his head. Luke shook his head as Scott stopped and leaned against a car nearby, closing his eyes and tilting his head back.

 

“Whatever was there is now gone. Either taken by a biter or by another human. How about you guys, any luck?”

 

“Tanks are emptied clean, batteries are gone and so are most of the tires and doors. This container probably has some biters in it, heard them banging about a few minutes ago.”

 

“And Anthony?”

 

**_(Please listen to[Spirit Healing - TWD Game OST 10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUZVL70jdnU))_ **

 

Before he could respond, there was a series of loud gunshots, causing not only the biters underneath Jonathan to stir up, but causing Luke and Scott to run towards the sound. Jonathan’s hands shook, fearing the worst, fearing what he knew was coming. He jumped off the container and froze after hearing another gunshot fill the air, trying to take his mind away from the thought. When he finally moved he found Luke and Scott within the forest, and almost sighed in relief. However, he knew they were too late. Scott kneeled beside a body sprawled out on the ground, shoulders shaking as quiet sobs filled the air. Luke stood a few feet away with a revolver in his good hand, looking down at the body of a man who was just as dirty and bloodied as them.

 

“Anthony, come on big guy. . You can’t just leave us. .”

 

“S-Scott. . It hurts. .Please, i-it hurts. .”

 

“Ssh, I know, I know. . Just hold my hand and d-don’t let go, okay? I love you, brother. . You will always be my best friend, o-okay?”

 

Anthony’s breathing was ragged as he held onto the other’s hand, tears flowing down the side of his face as Scott sat him up slightly and hugged him, holding him as close as possible. With a bloody hand, he gripped the back of Scott’s shirt, clinging on with fear prominent in his eyes.

 

“I-I’m scared. . I’m so fucking scared. . I don’t w-wanna die. .”

 

“J-Just think about the old days. . Think of when w-we went over to Marcel’s for a week and binged watched horror movies. . O-Or when we threw you that surprise party. .”

 

Jonathan looked away and brought his hand up, covering his mouth and trying to stifle the sobs that escaped his lips. Luke walked over and wrapped his arm around Jon’s shoulders, letting the younger turn and cry onto his shoulder. Scott rocked Anthony gently, wiping the tears from the other’s face and continuing to whisper memories to him. He choked on a sob once Anthony’s eyes gently fell shut, and the grip on his back suddenly vanished. He let himself scream in pain as he sobbed into the chest of his dead friend, refusing to let go of Anthony’s warm hand. Jonathan, too, let himself loose, whimpering and sobbing and holding onto Luke, who joined in on the tears as well.

 

Hours later, they found themselves back on the road, walking with inscrutable expressions and dirt on their hands and jeans. Scotty lagged behind them, hands and face covered with the blood of his best friend that he had _sworn_ to get home. Now, that friend was buried in the middle of nowhere with only a stick to mark his grave and knife to carve his name and date. He refused to wipe away the blood, blaming himself for the death of Anthony, and vowing to never forgive himself.

 

And he didn’t.

 

He didn’t even scream when someone came out of the shadows and slammed a bat against his back, knocking him to the ground and forcing the air out of his lungs. He gasped heavily and through his blurry vision, saw Luke trying to protect Jonathan, despite only having one arm. Jonathan, in turn, was kicking and throwing punches, crying out in pain when someone ran up behind him and stabbed a knife into his arm. He cursed, then also fell once that same person removed the knife and hit him over the head with the handle. Scott felt someone pull his arms behind his back and a harsh rope being tied around them, and the last thing he saw before being blindfolded was a man with icy blue eyes and bloodstained boots, looking at them with disgust and familiarity.

 

It might’ve just been his mind playing tricks on him, or maybe it was the grief gnawing at him, but for some reason, the man reminded him oddly of Brian.

 

He was truly going crazy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "There are things that we don't want to happen but have to accept.
> 
> Things we don't want to know but have to learn
> 
> & people we can't live without but have to let go."
> 
> \- Jennifer Jareau, Criminal Minds


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oof well I'm still alive lmao
> 
> sorry for the wait, life slapped me in the face hard for a couple of months and this was sort of my release from it
> 
> i left ohm out of this, i dont have the heart to write about him right now. that man needs some time. 
> 
> also, dont know if I'll ever finish this. im just so overwhelmed with this feeling that what i write is not good enough, and it makes me want to give up. idk, I'll think about it for a while, but there's not much guarantee that I'll finish this

“Sir, we have some bad news! Two of the prisoners escaped!”

 

“What? How? Did someone let them out?”

 

“When we went to check, Lauren was on the ground with a hit to her head. It seems as if she tried to help them an-”

 

Brian grabbed the guard by his shirt and slammed him against a wall, glaring hard and a deep frown on his face.

 

“Don’t fucking lie to me.”

 

“S-Sir I assure you I’m not!”

 

The irishman let go of the man, before halting his men and rushing to the prisons. There sat a nurse with Lauren, disinfecting the cut on her temple and stitching it up. Hissing, Lauren gripped her knee and looked up when hearing Brian come in, immediately looking away. He sighed and shook his head in disappointment before walking past them and to the cell that held everyone else. Unlocking it, he went inside and glared at Lucas as he gave him a smug grin and continued sitting on the ground.

 

“Did you really think you were going to keep us locked in for long? Craig and John left to get help, and once they do, they’re going to _kill_ you. You'll be _dead_ before you know it Brian!”

 

Anger bubbled up inside Brian as he let himself get angry. Grabbing ahold of the boy’s long hair, he dragged him to the middle of the small cell and threw him down, not giving him any time before he kicked him in the stomach. Both Tyler and Evan sprung up at the sound of the younger’s cry, but were frozen in place as the Irishman pulled out a gun and pointed it at them.

 

“Take one step closer and one of you will die.”

 

They grimaced as the were forced to watch Brian repeatedly slam his boot into Lucas’ stomach, the boy crying out loudly in pain and wheezing for air, curling up to try and stop the pain.

 

“D-Don’t worry. .fuck! I’m. . fine. .”

 

“Brian stop!”

 

He stopped and from his peripheral vision, watched as Lauren looked at him with big, pleading eyes, hands clenched at her sides as he turned to face her. With one last warning look at them, he walked out and bumped his shoulder against hers, not saying anything as she sighed and looked down. Lauren looked back up at them as she felt a gentle hand being placed on her shoulder, and gave Evan a dejected smile as she patted his hand gently and closed the cell, locking it up before leaving.

 

Tyler helped Lucas stand up as the younger male groaned and rested against the wall, spitting out a bit of blood and wiping the corner of his mouth. He then proceeded to lift his shirt up and look at his rather small and malnourished stomach, watching as the skin swelled and started turning into an ugly bruise. Tyler winced just looking at it and looked at Lucas worried, only to be taken back by the big grin he suddenly sported.

 

“Sweet, now I have something cool to show off to John when he comes rescue us.”

 

They chuckled a bit, but immediately looked at the gate, watching and hearing as Brian’s ‘followers’ came walking up to their prison, the sound of something dragging catching their attention. They were ordered to turn and face the wall, and when they didn’t, one of the men took out a gun and banged at the bars until they finally turned, shoulders tensed as they opened the gate and tossed whatever they were dragging. The sound of people groaning caught their attention as they waited for the men to leave. Once they were gone, they whipped around, only to be met with familiar faces that ripped a surprised gasp from Evan.

 

Tyler froze as Evan quickly rushed towards Jonathan, his breathing starting to get faster as he helped the older man sit up. Big tears welled up in his eyes as he hugged his best friend and fiancé close, sobbing and hugging him tight while Jonathan was slowly trying to wake up. Tyler hesitated, but was just as quick as to try and sit Scott and Luke up against the wall once Lucas quite literally threw himself onto Scott, hands instinctively going up to his face and feeling for any cuts as his sat on his lap, like he used to do with Craig when he was injured.

 

“O-Oh my god, you're alive. . you're alive!”

 

“E. . Evan. .?”

 

“Yes, yes it's me baby. . I’m here, i-it’s okay. . it's okay now. .”

 

Jonathan blinked groggily as he placed his cheek on Evan's shoulder, smiling softly as he let happy tears drip down, hands shakily coming up to the other’s waist to hold him close. Evan tried to keep calm, but threw it out the window and started sobbing loudly into Jonathan's neck, trembling from his cries as he held onto the other for dear life. Tyler smiled at the two and turned away to let them have a moment, instead helping Lucas by passing him the small water bottles they were provided and giving them to Scott and Luke, who drank with gratitude as the uncomfortable scratch in their throats started easing.

 

“Jesus, Scott, you're covered in blood. Did you get hurt?”

 

A pang of guilt stabbed through the other's heart as he looked down and closed his eyes, trying to forget the shaky voice of his friend dying in his arm, the way Anthony gripped his hand tightly and begged him not to let go. He shakily reached out for Tyler's hand and gripped it as tears of his own welled in his eyes and spilt over like a broken faucet, shoulders shaking and chest heaving with sobs he refused to let out. Slowly looking up into the other's icy blue eyes, his lip quivered and he shook his head.

 

“N-Not. . mine. .A-Anthony’s. .I let him. . I let him die. .”

 

“What. .? No. . No you're lying. . !”

 

“We were out gathering food and Anthony decided to go alone. By the time we got there, he had been shot by a man and. .”

 

Lucas’ breath hitched in his throat as he slowly crawled off Scott’s lap to sit down next to him, eyes wide and a lump forming in his throat. He simply stayed quiet and scooted to the wall next to them, trying to hug his knees close despite the prominent pain on his stomach and deal with the loss by himself. Tyler, on the other hand, looked at Scott desperately, trying to find something on his face that said he was lying, that Anthony was still out there, alive and not dead. They were lying, they had to be, right?

 

Right?

 

When all he found was the other's guilty tears spilling and staining his dirty shirt, Tyler roughly pulled Scott up by the collar of his shirt and pushed him up against the wall, eyes wide with anger as his hands shook and barely kept him up against the bricks. Scotty didn't even try to defend himself and just let it happen, wishing he would be punished for not saving his friend. Instead of the punch he expected and hoped for, he was pulled into a tight hug as Tyler basically crushed him with the force, sobbing softly into his shoulder.

 

“You’re not the first. . w-we lost. .we lost Brock. .”

 

He didn't even react, hell, he _couldn't_ react as he simply wrapped his arms around the other and held him tight. Slowly, the tears disappeared and he was left feeling numb and empty, his only priority being to get Tyler to just _stop crying._

 

_Stop it. ._

 

_Stop it. . ._

 

 **_Stop it, stop it, stop it, please_ ** _._

 

**_Anthony please just stop, stop._ **

 

“STOP!!”

 

Tyler flinched and quickly pulled away, staring with wide eyes at Scott as the male slid down the wall and hugged his knees close, mumbling softly to himself as Lucas grabbed the taller's hand and pulled him away, saying something along the lines of leaving him alone for a bit while trying to hide his red eyes and puffy cheeks. Luke looked over and frowned, before slowly getting up and moving to the other side, where he helped Evan patch Jon up and give him some water. After some time, Brian came back, pulling a beat up and terrified Marcel by his wrist. Standing before the cell, his frown turned into a sick grin as he chuckled darkly.

 

“Let the games begin.”

* * *

The Canadian man kept staring at his hand, fingers tracing the deep scar as his mind wandered far away. He jumped when a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder, and sighed in relief realizing it was only Tom. The taller man smiled and sat besides him on the ground, staring out into the open field behind dusty and shattered sunglasses he found somewhere. The wind moved their clothes and hair, while the grass rustled gently and created a soothing sound. Steven said nothing as he brought his knees closer to himself, crossing his arms on top of them and resting his chin.

 

“. . Do you think it’s worth it?”

 

“Of course. We’re saving our friends, Steven. Is there anything wrong with that?”

 

“No, no. It's just. . this whole thing, it seems so. . tiring.”

 

“When was the last time you properly slept?”

 

“I haven't.”

 

Tom turned his head and raised his brow in concern as he finally took a good look at the younger man. His face was pale, cheeks slightly hollowed and his green eyes sunken in, dark bags a heavy contrast against them. His clothes were definitely more baggy, and he looked like absolute shit, but who was he to judge? His hair was dirty, as well as long and heavy, kept back by a shitty rubber band that was near its breaking point. He wore sunglasses, way into the evening, just to hide the dark bags and discoloured eyes that were slowly making it harder to even see 10 feet in front of him.

 

“Who else knows?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You're blind. Who else knows?”

 

“I'm not blind. I can still see.”

 

“You aren't even looking at me.”

 

Tom blinked, and cussed under his breath as the idea of still seeing 10 feet in front of him crossed out in his mind. Steven turned to him and placed a hand on his neck, smiling softly and shaking his head.

 

“I won't tell Anthony. But please, don't lie.”

 

“I try not to.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

Tom grinned lazily and patted the hand on the side of his neck, only standing when a soft whistle caught their attention. Tom took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, tensing when he felt Steven's hand slip into his own. The Canadian man chuckled and pulled him along, their hands still intertwined as Tom couldn't help but smile just a bit brighter.

* * *

”Stop pacing so much. Everything's alright.”

 

“I still can't shake off the feeling that something’s wrong. .”

 

David shook his head and placed both hands on Arlan’s shoulders, stopping him midway through another hurried step. He slightly glared at him, a deep frown on his face behind a thick sweater that Arlan’s sister had gifted them. The shorter sighed and hesitantly sat down, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he looked out of the dining room area’s window, watching as the snow fell gently and hearing laughter from below.

 

“Stop it. I can hear you thinking from here. It's getting annoying.”

 

“Sorry. .”

 

David sat next to him and wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him close and kissing the side of his head. The shorter smiled and leaned into the comforting warmth, closing his eyes and enjoying the silence. After a while, David broke the silence, softly at first before talking normally.

 

“What do you think will happen to us?”

 

“We'll get rescued soon, David. I’m sure of it. Until then, all we have is each other and this little fort.”

 

“Being with you and Lui is just enough.”

 

Arlan chuckled and turned to face the Irishman, smiling softly as his nose and cheeks were dusted pink with the cold. David smiled back and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to his chapped lips. The younger kissed back and cupped his face gently with a cold hand, smiling into the kiss as their lips moved slowly, cherishing the quiet moment they had. They didn't mean to take it a step further, but they weren't against it either.

 

Soon, the Irishman had the younger on his lap, fingers gripping the other's hips as the kiss become sloppier and more heated. Arlan groaned softly and held onto the other’s shoulders, relaxing into his hold as he moved his hips slowly against the other's. Before they could step it up, however, there was a sudden pang of pain that hit Arlan, searing white hot pain that expanded from his chest to his stomach in a quick second.

 

He yelped and flinched back, falling out of his boyfriend’s lap and onto the ground where he curled up. He panted and let out a wail as the pain expanded, rapidly and more painful and suddenly, it was gone just as soon as it came.

 

“Arlan! Arlan, love, can you hear me? Shit. . Brianna!!”

 

“W-Where’s Lui. . ?”

 

“I don't know, but I'll go get him once I know you're okay.”

 

“No. . no I need to see him now. . !”

 

He shakily stood up and with a deep breath, ran out of the dining room and down a flight of stairs, trying to ignore the numbing pain in his chest. Brianna bumped him on his way out, eyes wide and hands reaching out to stop him.

 

“Arlan! _Espérate, no vayas!”_

 

He looked at her, shaking his head in denial as he pushed her away and ran into the cold. The snow was falling too fast, the coldness more burning than before. His eyes were watering, but the tears were freezing too quickly for them to fall. He fell to his knees before the sob could escape his throat, burying his face in the bloodied coat. Arlan closed his eyes, listening as the last breath in Lui left and all the was left was a corpse, growing colder by the second as he laid in the pearly white snow.

* * *

”Daddy, I feel gross. .”

 

“Shh, it's okay. . here, take this. It'll make you feel better in no time.”

 

“Are we almost there yet?”

 

“Just a few more days and soon we'll be reunited with mom and Aurora, okay? Just hang on there, buddy.”

 

Atlas slowly took a drink of whatever his father was offering him, falling back into the makeshift bed made from cardboard and rags and rolling over to lay on his side. He breathed heavily, coughing from time to time as sweat trickled down his flushing face. He was running a fever, too high for the over the counter medicine to cure, and Sark was running out of ideas of what he needed to do. He would be damned if he left his son behind, but after years of surviving, Sark had grown far too tired and old to keep on carrying his boy through miles of cold.

 

They just need to cross the state line and they would reach the military base. Just a few more miles and they'd be there. With their families, where the nightmares wouldn't reach them.

 

Where they'd actually be safe.

 

It was just a matter of time, time that Sark was running out of if he didn't act soon. He knew what he had to do, and he was hoping it worked.

 

It had to.

* * *

A tired sigh left pale lips as Mike ran a hand through Vlad’s hair, a small smile on his lips as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

 

“How are you feeling today, love?”

 

“Mm, much better now that you're here.”

 

Mike took the other's hand into his own and kissed his knuckles, before getting up and stretching his tired limbs. Vlad stared at the other’s scratched back with a small smile, before rolling on his stomach and burying his face into the pillow. As he closed his eyes, he thought of how they got to where they were, in a safe community with food, water and _beds._ After nearly 2 years of sleeping on dirty floors or even way up in trees, they were finally able to lay on a _actually fucking bed._ He was snapped out of his thoughts by Mike nudging his back, telling him something about a meeting.

 

Groaning, the pale man sat up and huffed, getting off the bed and following his boyfriend to the bathroom, getting ready for the big meeting happening that day. One that decided the fate of a lot of people in their community. Stopping in the middle of the hallway of the apartment complex, Vlad’s brows scrunched up and he shook his head.

 

“Mike, we shouldn’t do this. They’re people, just like us. Can’t we just let them stay?”

 

“Vlad, you heard what Bryce said. Survival is top priority during this time. I don’t like it either, but he’s doing for the good of everyone here.”

 

Vlad hesitantly followed him, but as soon as they got to the center of the small town, he refused to go near their ‘leader’. Mike frowned, but instead of going ahead, stayed behind and grabbed his hand tightly, even as Vlad turned away from him slightly.

 

Not long after, their leader walked onto the front, back straight and shoulders broad as his expression was unreadable. The murmur in the crowd died down quickly, and all that was heard was the wind rustling the trees and blowing through the semi-empty community. He cleared his throat, before starting the speech many dreaded to hear.

 

“We are all gathered here today to decide the fate of 5 members of this community. As you all must know by now, survival of the fittest is key to making it through these dark times. We do not need anyone holding us back during an attack, rather, we would need everyone to be able to fight for themselves.”

 

“It has come to my knowledge that many of you oppose this decision. Let me remind you that last time we let unfit people into this community, it resulted in the death of the scavengers. We were left starving for nearly a month, and many unfortunately perished. Do you all really wish for that to happen once again?”

 

There was a quiet, panicked murmur that rippled through the waves of people, as Bryce simply grinned and fixed his collar. When the voices died down, he cleared his throat and almost immediately, five people were being pushed to the front, arms tied behind their back and a blindfold over their eyes. They were mostly amputees or sickly people, but what stood out was the younger kid between them all. He stood out so much, that all Vlad could focus on was him. He drowned everything Bryce said out, and only came back to his senses when another murmur disturbed the quiet.

 

“Do any of you volunteer to take the place of any of these people so they are. . _spared_ of the tests of endurance they'll be put through?”

 

For a long pause, no one moved nor said anything. All the was heard was the cold wind blowing through the streets and rustling the dead trees and bushes. A sudden gasp made everyone look back, a lonesome hand high in the air. Bryce grinned, but it quickly faded as the crowd moved away from the person to make room. Vlad stepped forward with stoic gaze, pulling his hand away from Mike despite the other's protest as he walked to the front of the crowd. Once in front of Bryce, the taller looked him up and down, then at his eyes, begging him to go back without any words being said. The other simply shook his head and pointed at the young kid, before turning back to face the mass of people staring at him.

 

“I will take the place of the kid. He is to be taken to Michael Misetich and raised by him until I come back. If I don't, he is to be considered a capable citizen, like the rest of us, and taken in count.”

 

“From this day forward, I, Vladimir, pledge as a Dead Man Walking.”

 

**\- - - - - - - - - -**

 

“So, anyone replace the currents?”

 

Mark chuckled, but ceased once Bryce slammed his hands against the window sill, looking outside to the quiet town below, covered in a grey like colour from the cloudy sky. The dark skinned male stood and gently placed a hand on the other's shoulder, concern covering his features as Bryce tried to control his breathing.

 

“Bryce, what happened? You know you can talk to me. .”

 

“He's such a fucking idiot. Why? Why did it have to be _him?_ Why couldn't it have been another person, someone else, **_anybody_ ** but him!”

 

“Who replaced who?”

 

“Fucking Vladimir replaced the kid.”

 

“You're fucking kidding me.”

 

Bryce groaned and buried his face into his hands, biting his lip hard to prevent the tears from leaking out. Mark cussed under his breath and looked down, shaking his head.

 

“There's no way he'll survive that. . no one has. . not even the general who created it. .”

 

“And there's nothing we can do. Once you become a Walking Dead, you can't go back. _We_ can't go back on our word. We'll just. . we'll just have to do it.”

 

Shaking his head, Mark stood next to Bryce with a heavy hand on the other's shoulder, the silence surrounding them only adding to the remorse and responsibility hanging above their heads.

 

**\- - - - - - - - - -**

 

“Please think about it carefully, Vlad. I don't want you to die. .”

 

The pale man leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed, eyebrows scrunched in concentration. Sighing heavily, he looked up at Mike with teary eyes and stepped into the other's open arms.

 

“Make me forget today, Mike. Make it go away. .”

 

“I got you. I always will. .”

 

With that, the taller closed the space between them and kissed him deeply, arms going around the other's waist and pulling him in. Vlad sighed softly and melted into the embrace, hands coming up to the other's face and cupping it gently, fingers dancing on his cheeks and chin. Gently pressing the shorter against the wall, Mike pulled away and kissed his forehead, pulling away just enough to stare into soft, sad eyes. He smiled and pressed their foreheads together, eyes closing as he simply listened to their heartbeats.

 

“I love you.”

 

Vlad didn't respond, he didn't _want_ to respond. He was too scared of love, too scared of saying something he'll possibly one day never say back. So biting back his words, he pulled the other down for a rough kiss, hands making their way up to the other's shaggy hair and holding him there. Lithe legs wrapped around Mike’s waist as he held the other against the cold wall, the room heating up with every second that passed.

 

His pale skin _burned_ every time Mike brushed his finger tips against his chest or stomach, nails digging into the other's back and creating crescent like marks. Gasps spilled out of swollen lips as teeth bit at the expense of milky white skin underneath him, adding more whimpers to the existing ones as nimble fingers pushed down faded jeans and briefs, leaving him exposed for Mike and Mike only. He could practically feel his mouth _water_ as the shorter took those fingers into his mouth, sucking and swirling and _turning him on so fucking bad._

 

In no time, he had Vlad practically melting in his arms, coming undone before him with simply a push of his fingers and a few nudges. Once his fingers were out, he looked up at his partner for a go, to which the other simply distracted him with lustful kiss and nip to chapped lips. He pushed in as slow as he could muster, bottoming out all the way before kissing the other's tears away and holding him up against the wall with his body. Ragged breath and soft whimpers filled the quiet air as Mike rested his forehead against the pale shoulder before him, now just realizing of the salty tears that poured out his eyes and slipped down Vlad’s shoulder and arm.

 

The other ran his hands up and down Mike’s back, panting and kissing him deeply once the other started moving his hips, slowly at first before it became hurried, harsh, as if trying to grave this moment into their minds. Vlad threw his head back and moaned loudly, bucking his hips down to meet the other halfway through. Mike bit and sucked marks onto the other's neck, collarbone, shoulder, anywhere and everywhere he could. He didn't want the other to forget this, to forget him.

 

He didn't want Vlad to die.

 

Vlad came untouched onto both of their stomachs, a silent whisper of his lover's name escaping raw lips. Mike grabbed him firmly and staggered back, turning and falling on top of him in the bed. Vlad whimpered as he wrapped his arms tightly around his neck, holding on as the other kept pounding him at a steady pace, voice hoarse from screams that escaped him. Mike grunted and kissed him deeply, leaving scratch marks on his thighs and bruises on his slim waist. Vlad wailed with oversensitivity as Mike slightly slowed his pace, pausing for a moment to look at the beauty of a man under him. His lip quivered as his eyes watered, kissing his lover lightly and gently, almost as if he was going to break with the slightest bit of pressure.

 

The shorter smiled up at him and wrapped his legs around the other's waist, pulling him close enough so their bare and sweaty chest touched. With his thumbs, he brushed away the tears spewing out of the other's eyes, leaning up to place a quick kiss on both eyelids before whispering under his breath.

 

“Make me remember you till the day I die.”

 

A few screams and a couple of thrusts later, Mike released deep into Vlad, groaning loudly and falling limp on top of the other. Panting, they mapped each other's skin out, sharing fleeting kisses in between as they slowly started coming down from their high.

 

Helping the other clean up and change, Mike held him close once they laid in bed together, kissing his forehead and trying to shield him from the unpreventable. He didn't sleep until he heard Vlad’s breath slow down, and that's when he finally let himself doze off into a cold and dark sleep.

 

**_( As It Seems - Lily Kershaw )_ **

 

He awoke the next more to an empty space besides him, wrinkled and still slightly warm from the body that had just slept there a few minutes ago. Michael sat up and sighed, looking out the window besides the bed and to the endless grey world below, reminiscing about the event the night before and the swelling of his heart whenever he saw Vladimir smile.

 

And that would be the last image he would ever have of the man he loved.

 

It wouldn't be until years later, after he adopted Sebastian, the kid, as his legal son and both moved far away that he found out what had happened to his lover.

 

During the test, he was hit over the head and knocked out, left for dead in a building filled with biters. And in a turn of events, a military squad who happened to be escorting a group of scientists who had a cure stumbled upon him, taking him back to their base where he woke up with no recollection of what happened or who he was. Vlad then proceeded to become a new person, taking on the name Taylor Castro and marrying a doctor who had helped him during his recovery. And it hurt Michael, it really did. But even though it hurt, he was happy that Vladimir was alive, and finally living the life Mike couldn't give him.

 

And he was fine with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translation
> 
> Espérate, no vayas! - Wait, don't go!

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for stopping by and reading this story :^)))


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